HYDERABAD: The incessant rainfall that had been lashing Telangana for the past week peaked on Thursday, breaking the highest-ever record, leaving the State grappling with a deluge that has claimed at least six lives and caused extensive damage across various districts. Venkatapur in Mulugu mandal received the highest-ever recorded rainfall of 64.9 cm while Chityal in Bhupalpally mandal recorded 61.6 cm.
The torrential rains resulted in three lives being lost in the Warangal district, two in Bhadradri-Kothagudem, and one in Korutla while a search is on for a person who has washed away in Nandipet Mandal. Weather experts attributed the torrential rains to the formation of vortexes in the clouds. As per the latest forecast, parts of Telangana are likely to continue experiencing heavy rains for the next two days.
The official machinery continued to remain on high alert; officials evacuated 1,500 people from Moranchapalle village which has a population of 300 families after it was surrounded by water.In the same village, six people trapped by the floodwaters of the local stream Morancha were airlifted to safety by an Army helicopter. Rescue teams also rescued around 160 tourists stranded at the Mutyaladara waterfall in Mulugu.
They had spent the entire night in the forest. Another 10 workers trapped in the Gopalapur sand quarry in Manthani were also successfully rescued. In all, as many as 10,696 people from 108 villages have been shifted to safer places. However, the incessant rains caused extensive damage to standing crops and roads, while power substations have been inundated, leading to an interruption in supply in some villages.
TS Transco and Genco CMD D Prabhakar Rao assured that the power utilities were fully prepared to handle the situation and that emergency restoration works were underway on a war-footing basis.
The Godavari continued to swell and the second warning remained in place at Bhadrachalam.
Hundreds of houses were reported to have collapsed, and road traffic has been severely disrupted in various parts of the State.
The Kadam project in Adilabad received massive inflows in the morning, leaving officials on the edge. They found relief by the afternoon as the inflows subsided later in the day. Several Ministers visited the affected areas, overseeing the rescue and relief operations. Meanwhile, officials lifted the gates of SRSP, Jurala, and other projects, while hydel power generation commenced at Jurala.
CM Reviews
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is also continuously monitored the situation and took updates from Ministers over the phone. Ministers KT Rama Rao, T Harish Rao, Puvvada Ajaya Kumar, Satyavathi Rathod, A Indrakaran Reddy, Koppula Eswar and others monitored the situation. The Chief Minister called up Satyavathi Rathod and enquired about the situation in the Godavari.
As per KCR’s directions, Satyavathi Rathod proceeded to Mulugu and stayed there overnight. Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari directed district Collectors to carry out intensive relief and rehabilitation measures in places severely affected by the heavy rains. The CS held a teleconference with the Collectors and took stock of the relief and rehabilitation measures taken in the flood-hit districts, as well as precautionary measures.
Rainfall intensity to decrease, says IMD
The intensity of rainfall is expected to decrease across the State. According to IMD, heavy to very heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places in Adilabad, Asifabad, Nirmal, Nizamabad, Yadadri Bhuvangiri, Sangareddy, Medak, Kumuram Bheem Asifabad and Kamareddy districts, on Friday. Starting from Saturday, the weather is expected to be dry with occasional light to moderate rains. Hyderabad is likely to receive moderate rains
Shah promised all help: Kishan
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has promised all possible help in the rescue works for safeguarding people, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy tweeted on Thursday. He said that 2 choppers and 5 NDRF teams are part of the rescue efforts
Educational institutions to remain shut
The government has decided to extend holidays for all educational institutions till July 30. A notification regarding the same was issued on Thursday, directing government, aided and private institutions to extend the holidays