KAMAREDDY/SIRCILLA/SANGAREDDY/NIRMAL/HYDERABAD: Torrential rains — almost 500 mm in a span of 6.5 hours — battered parts of Telangana over the past two days, leaving a trail of destruction across Kamareddy, Nirmal, Siddipet and Rajanna Sircilla districts. At least three people were confirmed dead and six others remain missing.
Director General of Police Dr Jitender said the death toll was “less than 10” but added that search operations were continuing. As many as 1,499 people have been rescued since Wednesday. Officials said that one person died in Rajampet mandal and two others were washed away in Domakonda mandal.
Emergency response teams rescued 560 children and 16 elderly persons in Medak and Kamareddy. Minister Danasari Anasuya, after visiting Kamareddy, announced that three persons died in the rains.
A cloudburst triggered record rainfall, with Rajampet mandal in Kamareddy receiving 494.8 mm in just six-and-a-half hours, between 8.30 am and 3 pm on Wednesday. This was the heaviest downpour in nearly four decades. Locals described the rain as the “most intense in living memory”.
Several streams swelled beyond capacity, tanks breached and floodwaters cut off access to villages. The Godavari was in full spate near Eturnagaram.
In Nirmal district, NDRF teams rescued cattle grazer B Shankar Naik, who had been stranded without food or water for nearly 30 hours in Munipally village.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, after an aerial survey, directed officials to assess crop damage and consider building high-level bridges to reduce future risks.
NH 44 closed
The downpour disrupted road, rail and highway networks. National Highway 44 was shut near Jangampalli after floodwaters spilled over, while traffic on the newly upgraded NH-765 (D) was diverted at Narva village.
Railway tracks near Rameshwarpally in Bhiknoor mandal were damaged, forcing cancellation or diversion of several trains. The 103-year-old Pocharam Project withstood a massive inflow of 1.82 lakh cusecs — more than double its designed flood discharge capacity of 70,000 cusecs.