HYDERABAD/JANGAON/MAHABUBABAD: A day after playing spoilsport in Dasara festivities in some places, heavy rains continued to lash several districts in the State on Thursday.
In the Palamuru region, in particular, rains wreaked havoc, throwing life out of gear. Four persons were killed when lightning struck at two different places in the erstwhile Warangal district and a temple priest was washed away after he fell into an SRSP canal in Jagtial district on Wednesday night.
Though heavy rains were witnessed in Rangareddy, Nagarkurnool, Narayanapet, Vikarabad, Wanaparthy and Rajanna-Sircilla districts, Amangal in Rangareddy registered the highest rainfall of 12.2 cm. In Hyderabad, there was moderate rainfall with Serilingampally reporting the maximum rainfall of 4.5 cm.
During the last 24 hours, Warangal in Siddipet recorded the highest rainfall of 9.8 cm and in Hyderabad, Kapra had the highest of 6.7 cm.
The prevailing weather conditions were attributed to the cyclonic circulation over coastal AP and the neighbourhood. The trough now runs from the cyclonic circulation over south Coastal AP & neighbourhood to west Madhya Pradesh, across Telangana and Vidarbha region, IMD said.
In the erstwhile Warangal district, four youngsters were killed and three others injured when lightning struck at two places.
Normal life hit, crops damaged in Palamuru region
In Sagaram village in Jangaon district, three youngsters were killed and another injured. The deceased were identified as Nerella Shiva, 21, M Samba Raju, 22, and G Sai Krishna, 22. Nerella Vamshi Krishna who sustained injuries was shifted to Wardhannapet Community Health Centre for treatment. Speaking to the media, Zaffergadh SI B Madhav Goud said the incident occurred when the four youngsters went to the outskirts of Sagaram for an outing.
The bodies have been shifted to Wardhannapet CHC for autopsy and a case has been registered under Section 174 (Suspicious Death) of IPC. In Garla village of Mahabubabad district, 26-year-old Vemula Prashanth died when he, along with two of his friends, went to Pedda Cheruvu.
According to Garla SI B Venkanna, Prashanth died on the spot and his friends Vijay and Shekar were shifted to Mahabubabad GH for treatment. In another incident, police said priest Bingi Prasad, accompanied by devotees, was leading a procession on the occasion of Dasara. When the idol was being immersed, his feet slipped, making him fall into the water amid heavy currents. Even though the locals tried saving him, he was washed away.
Houses flooded
In the Palamuru region, heavy rains not only caused flooding in several localities, but also resulted in a breach of a minor irrigation tank, and disrupted road connectivity in many villages across Mahbubnagar, Narayanpet, Wanaparthy and Nagarkurnool districts. The Oora Cheruvu bund in Dodaguntapally village in Wanaparthy district breached on Thursday morning, destroying paddy fields in hundreds of acres under its ayacut.
Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy, who inspected the breached tank, said: “There was a plan to undertake repair works on the tank after this season. However, the breach occurred before that.”
The Minister asked the irrigation officials to continuously monitor the situation of irrigation tanks in the villages, and also urged the people’s representatives to stay alert, ensure that the irrigation systems were stable and flag any issue needing urgent attention to the officials concerned.
The siphons of the Sarala Sagar medium irrigation project near Kothakota started lifting and pumping out water as the project started receiving heavy inflows due. Due to the heavy outflow, Ookachettu Vagu, a local stream in Atmakur Mandal was flowing in rage, disconnecting the road between Madanapur and Athmakur.
There was also a disruption of road connectivity between Gopalpet and Wanaparthy town as Jerripothula Vagu was overflowing.
With the Pedda Cheruvu tank overflowing in Mahbubnagar town, Ramaiahbowli, Shivashakthi Nagar, BK Reddy Colony and Bhagiratha Colony were flooded with water, which entered several houses and shops.
Mahabubnagar municipal chairman Narasimhulu had a bitter experience when he went to inspect the affected area, as the residents of Ramaiahbowli obstructed him and questioned him why no solution for the recurring flooding problem was found till now. With Dundubhi Vagu flowing heavily in the Nagarkurnool district, road connectivity between six villages was disrupted.
More rains likely
According to the IMD weather forecast, heavy rains are very likely to occur at isolated places in Nizamabad, Nalgonda, Suryapet, Vikarabad, Kamareddy, Mahbubnagar, Nagarkurnool, Wanaparthi, Narayanpet and Jogulamba-Gadwal districts on Friday. There would also be moderate rainfall in these
areas for three days from Saturday onwards