HYDERABAD: Floods triggered by torrential rains have wreaked havoc in many parts of Telangana, claiming lives of nine people. On Monday, three women and a girl went missing after a dinghy capsized in Krishna river. The dinghy with 13 people on it overturned in the river near Dathathreya temple in Narayanpet district. The four victims were on their way from Pasupula to Kurupavaram when the mishap occurred. The passengers of another dinghy rescued the rest of the travellers and took them to safety.
However, the women and the child are missing and feared to have been washed away by the powerful currents. Authorities have initiated search operations to find their bodies. The missing persons have been identified as Sumalatha, her daughter Roja, Parvathamma and Narasamma. They were returning home after buying essential commodities.
Damage to be assessed: Agri Secy
Janardhan Reddy added, “The exact assessment of damage is yet to be done. It will be done in a couple of days, after stagnant water in the fields recedes. The inundation will most likely have damaged green gram and groundnut crops in the harvesting stage. These are spread over 5,000 to 10,000 acres, at present. “ The downpour which lasted for close to five days in various parts of the State led to the swelling of rivers and other water bodies. It halted on Monday in most areas, but continued in some northern parts. As on Monday night, Adilabad recorded the highest rainfall of 80 mm.
Relief operations
Floods caused by overflowing water bodies, however, continued on Monday in erstwhile Warangal, Khammam and Adilabad districts. Rescue operations of shifting people from flooded areas to relief centres are in progress. More than 3,500 people were shifted to 13 relief centres in Warangal, Hanamkonda and Kazipet. In Mulugu, 6,000 people were shifted to 29 relief centres. A team of 25 NDRF personnel was deployed in Mulugu, in addition to four speed boats and 40 swimmers. In Kothagudem district, as many as 4,683 people were shifted to 37 flood relief shelters, considering the Godavari river is still brimming over the danger mark.
Many people were moved from places located close to the banks of Munneru river, which was also flooded. In Adilabad, more than 130 villages were marooned off, as several roads and bridges connecting them to other vi l lages got submerged. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), southwest monsoon continues to hover vigorously over Telangana. Heavy rains are very likely on Tuesday at isolated places in Adilabad, Nirmal, Asifabad, Mancherial, Sircilla, Karimnagar, Jagtial, Bhupalpally, Mulugu, Warangal (Urban and Rural) and Peddapalli districts.