HYDERABAD: Once again, Hyderabad witnessed heart-rending scenes on Sunday of people caught in helpless situations amidst waterlogged roads, floodwaters gushing into houses and desperate rescue attempts by volunteers and government personnel, following heavy rains the previous night. Areas near LB Nagar and Balapur have been the most-affected. Since Saturday night, at least six deaths have been reported across Hyderabad, including that of a six-year-old girl, who was killed as a wall of their house collapsed at Mangalhat.Also, three men were electrocuted at Uppal, Malakpet and Balanagar, while one drowned in Jubilee Hills. With these deaths, the toll from rain-related incidents has climbed to 51 in Telangana, including six reported in the city on Sunday.
Traffic snarls of over two hours were reported at several places and power supply to many more localities has been cut off. Vehicle breakdowns made things worse for commuters and motorists. In fact, traffic jams continued till 3 am-4 am in certain areas, after which several waterlogged stretches have remained shut. An overflowing Gurram Cheruvu has caused extensive damage in Balapur, severely inundating its adjacent areas such as Hafiz Babanagar, Gulshan Iqbal Colony and Nabeel Colony, among others. Saturday’s downpour has also waterlogged areas surrounding LB Nagar — Medipally, Saroornagar, Hayatnagar and Uppal had reported rainfall between 15 cm to 18 cm.
As many areas in the Greater Hyderabad limits are yet to recover from the deluge caused by extremely heavy rains on October 13, nearly 150 colonies continue to be inundated and about 40,000 families are estimated to have been affected. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of thunderstorms and heavy-to-very-heavy rains at isolated places across TS till October 22.
Low pressure likely over Bay of Bengal
The weatherman has forecasted that a low pressure area is likely to develop over the Bay of Bengal and become well-marked in the next 24 hours. So far, Hyd has received 158% excess rainfall this year — i.e., 130 cm against the average annual rainfall of 82 cm
150 colonies
continue to be inundated and about 40,000 families are estimated to have been affected by the extremely heavy rains that lashed the city on Oct 13 night
Covid threat looms over relief centres
The threat of Covid-19 hangs over the countless flood-affected people of Hyderabad, who have been rescued and accommodated in relief centres across the city. Already, around 19 of them have reportedly contracted the highly contagious disease