HYDERABAD: The heavy rains over the last couple of days that led to swelling of rivers and other water bodies in Telangana, came to a halt on Monday in most places and continued only in some parts of northern Telangana.
However, flooding due to overflowing water bodies and rescue operations continued in the districts of erstwhile Warangal and Khammam that have been the most affected.
In Warangal (Urban) where three teams of the Disaster Response Force of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation were pressed into service on Sunday, around 3,500 people have been rescued till now and shifted to 13 centres.
In Mulugu district, around 6,000 people living on the shores of the Godavari river have been shifted to 29 centres, as water level in the river reached 74.94 metres, close to the danger mark of 75.82 metres, at Eturunagaram, according to data from the CWC.
A team of the National Disaster Response Force consisting of 25 members along with four speed boats has also been deployed in Mulugu for rescue operations in the district. Around 40 swimmers have also been deployed and in each mandal four special officers have been deployed by the district administration. Drones are also being used for flood situation monitoring.
On Monday, flooding was also reported from a few places in the erstwhile Adilabad district, resulting in even marooning of some villages. Five gates have been opened for the release of water from the Kaddam reservoir.
In Peddapalli, the Manair stream at Somanpalli of Manthani mandal is overflowing and as a result, vehicle movement has been restricted in various locations across the district. Health minister Eatala Rajender and the district officials are inspecting the flood affected areas.
In Bhadrachalam, the Godavari river is overflowing. According to information from the CWC, water level in the river presently stands at 56.98 metres, above the danger mark of 55 metres. Many villages and low-lying areas on the banks of the river have submerged in the flood waters in Bhadrachalam and Manugur divisions. Around 157 families from these places have been shifted till now to relief centres in Dummagudem mandal.
Road transportation has been cut off from Bhadrachalam town to various mandals due to overflowing of water on roads in many villages.
Munneru river is also in spate and some areas in Khammam have been inundated. The district administration has shifted people from these places to shelters. District collector MV Reddy has camped in Bhadrachalam and is monitoring the situation.
Across the state, due to the prevailing situation there has been huge crop loss and damage to personal and public property.
In the light of heavy rains lashing Hyderabad, the Disaster Response Force of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has kept three specialised boat rescue teams on standby to attend any contingencies arising out of heavy rains and water inundation in low-lying areas. Also, as many as 16 DRF teams consisting of 360 personnel are working round the clock in three shifts in the city to meet any emergencies.
EVDM Director Vishwajit Kampati told The New Indian Express that all DRF teams have been equipped with equipment and safety gear for handling complaints of treefall, water logging and other citizen assistance grievances. Specialised machinery and pumps have been placed at strategic locations in the city for ensuring quick response in case of incidents.
Over 200 complaints from citizens have been addressed in the last 72 hours. All steps are being taken to minimise citizen inconvenience and DRF teams have successfully ensured that no major traffic issues have come up in the last three days due to water stagnations or treefall, he added.
Meanwhile, three DRF teams including one specialised boat team are taking up rescue and relief operations in Warangal since yesterday. About 36 citizens have been rescued by DRF in Warangal till now, he said.