HYDERABAD: The city reeled under another spell of heavy downpour on Thursday evening. The intense rains left several parts of the city waterlogged, triggering traffic snarls and chaos during peak hours. Unlike the usual late-night showers, the spell of rain coincided with school closing hours, leaving children and parents stranded as knee-deep waterlogging was reported right in front of a few schools.
In many areas, transformers are submerged in water, leading to power cuts. “We were informed that power would not be restored until tomorrow morning as the transformers were submerged in water,” said a resident. Elevators were also shut down as rainwater inundated parking lots at many places like DV Colony, Patny Nala, Tirumalagiri, Karkhana, Kavadiguda, Bible House, Koti and a few other places.
According to official data, the highest rainfall in the city was recorded in Bahadurpura at 86.5 mm, followed by Charminar with 68.5 mm. In the last 24 hours, Musheerabad was the worst hit with three localities topping the rainfall charts: Talla Basti received 184.5 mm, MCH Colony 174.8 mm, and Bholakpur 155.5 mm.
Traffic police and Disaster Response Force (DRF) teams were deployed across major inundated stretches to divert vehicles and ensure public safety. Despite the intensity of Thursday’s showers, officials have not issued any specific rain alert for the coming days.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has placed all districts of Telangana under a yellow alert, warning of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) at isolated places.
LIFE THROWN OUT OF GEAR
For the second consecutive day, Hyderabad witnessed spells of heavy rainfall, continuing the downpour that began on Wednesday, paralysing traffic at key junctions and leaving several areas waterlogged. Motorists struggled to find their way out of the inundated stretches. Power disruptions were also reported in several areas.