MEDAK/ADILABAD/KARIMNAGAR: Relentless rains over the past two days wreaked havoc across Telangana, with record rainfall, breached bunds and flash floods inundating villages, snapping transport links, displacing hundreds and leaving several dead. Rescue operations are underway across the region.
In Medak and Siddipet districts, bund breaches in tanks and lakes forced villagers to flee. Two people were washed away; one body has been recovered. In Yellareddy, security personnel rescued a man trapped in a car swept away by floodwaters.
Medak alone recorded an unprecedented 20–31 cm of rainfall in 48 hours, submerging entire colonies and tandas. Nearly 300 students from the Social Welfare Degree College in Ramayampet were shifted to safer places. At Rajpet in Ghanapur mandal, eight marooned people were rescued, while tribals in Dhoopsing tanda spent nearly 24 hours stranded on rooftops until the waters receded.
There were moments of high drama: NDRF staff carried a pregnant woman in labour through swirling waters to hospital, where both mother and child were declared safe. At Chinna Nizampet, three farmers trapped in fields after the Pothareddypet tank overflowed were supplied food and phones by drones until rescuers reached them, their safe return cheered by the entire village.
Tragedy struck at Gangamma vagu, where two men — Besta Satyam and Yada Goud — were swept away while trying to reach Medak town; Satyam’s body was later recovered.
Ministers Damodar Rajanarasimha and Vivek Venkatswamy, along with former minister T Harish Rao, toured affected villages. Sardena alone recorded 31 cm of rain in a single night, while Nagapur registered 27 cm. Medak Collector Rahul Raj said road connectivity had been badly hit but restoration was under way. The government has appointed former collector Harish as special officer to coordinate relief.
Transport links snapped
Incessant rains have submerged several low-lying areas and cut off transportation to many villages in the erstwhile Adilabad district. Traffic movement on NH-44 was severely affected, while train services between Adilabad and Tirupati were cancelled. Several projects and lakes are receiving heavy inflows.
Nirmal police appealed to travellers from Adilabad to Hyderabad, or vice versa, to take diversions as roads via Kamareddy are damaged. Vehicles can instead use the Kondapur Bridge and proceed via Mamada, Khanapur, Metpally, Jagtial and Karimnagar to reach Hyderabad. Heavy vehicles were halted at Neeradigonda and Pipparwada toll plazas on NH-44 due to connectivity issues.
Nirmal Collector Abhilasha Abhinav and SP Dr G Janaki Sharmila have been monitoring the situation for two days, urging residents to step out only if necessary. Excise, Prohibition and Tourism Minister and district in-charge Jupally Krishna Rao reviewed the flood situation and alerted officials.
In Adilabad district, residents of Kodath village in Talamadugu mandal staged a protest on the interstate road, alleging rainwater had entered their houses. They demanded the construction of a sidewall along the bridge. Police told them the issue would be taken up with officials, following which the protest was withdrawn.
Meanwhile, B Gangadhar of Morriguda village in Jannaram mandal died after accidentally slipping into a canal while returning home.
Edu institutions closed
In the erstwhile Karimnagar district, the NDRF rescued a cattle grazer stranded in Lingannapet at midnight on Wednesday.
Five farmers trapped in the Narmala stream in Gambhiraopet were supplied food by drone before being airlifted by Army helicopters on Thursday, following Minister of State (Home) Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s request.
District Collector Sandeep Kumar Jha and SP Mahesh B Gite monitored the operations. In Jagtial, a tractor was swept into the SRSP canal, leaving four missing. Educational institutions were shut in Sircilla and Jagtial, while Satavahana University postponed exams. In Katnapalli village, Choppadandi mandal, floodwaters entered homes.
Lineman risks life to restore power
A lineman restored power to Venkatraopet village in Toguta mandal on Thursday by fixing a damaged insulator on a pole located in the middle of Vanam tank. With the help of villager Bhikshapathi, Mallesham reached the pole on a teppa (country boat) and completed the repair.