HYDERABAD: Relentless rains pounded large parts of Telangana for the third straight day on Wednesday, leaving two people dead, disrupting road and rail traffic, and cutting off several villages. However, Hyderabad was largely spared the worst, recording only light to moderate showers till late evening.
In stark contrast, districts in the state’s north faced widespread flooding as local streams and rivulets overflowed, submerging low-lying areas and halting movement on multiple routes.
Heavy inflows into reservoirs saw all 26 gates of Nagarjunasagar lifted, while Srisailam also reached full capacity, prompting hydel power generation in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
The rains, triggered by a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal, intensified from Tuesday night, lashing erstwhile Adilabad, Nalgonda, Warangal and Sangareddy districts. In Vikarabad, downpours continued into Wednesday night. In Khammam district, water was seen flowing over the Kattaleru check dam in Yerrupalem mandal, while residents of low-lying Kodad areas were moved to shelters.
Man was swept away while crossing stream
Rescue efforts were mounted after incidents in Sangareddy district claimed two lives.
In Raikode mandal, 27-year-old Mathari Srinivas was swept away while crossing a flooded stream, despite warnings from villagers. His body was recovered downstream.
In another incident in Jarasangam mandal, the body of 30-year-old Bodla Bhaskar, missing since Monday after being caught in a stream, was found by police.
Multiple roads were cut off across Yadadri, Nalgonda and other districts as water surged over bridges and causeways. In Mattampally mandal, access to Raghunathapalem was blocked, while the Hyderabad–Guntur route was disrupted by flooding on the Andhra–Telangana border. Adilabad’s Kothapalli railway underbridge was submerged, severing transport links.
Mancherial district bore the heaviest rainfall, with Kannepalli recording 233.5 mm, Bheemini 226.8 mm, and Tandur 182.8 mm. In Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Rebbena saw 220.8 mm. Jayashankar Bhupalpally’s Chityal reported 180 mm. Hyderabad, by contrast, saw isolated heavy spells, the highest being 50.5 mm in Rajendranagar.
Most areas remained dry enough for IT firms to allow staff to work from home, though some employees were asked to report briefly before leaving by mid-afternoon.
A youth who went to cut leaves from a tree to feed his goat was trapped in a nala at Yakutpura. However, locals rescued him.