Rains Recede, Toll Touches 16 in Telangana
Hyderabad: Rains started receding in most parts of the state on Monday, allowing officials to begin relief and rehabilitation work amidst the heavy flooding caused by downpours over the weekend in Khammam, Warangal, Suryapet and Mahbubabad districts.
The toll in the downpours and flooding rose to 16 on Monday. There are fears that many people have been swept away in Nalgonda and Warangal districts on Sunday. There is no update about the missing people in the two districts. Police and revenue officials have received the most number of SOS calls from Mahbubabad, Khammam and Suryapet districts.
For a start, traffic was restored in a small way on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway, which continues to see large traffic jams, and railway officials were confident of restoring rail services towards the evening.
According to the latest weather forecast, around 11 districts are expected to receive heavy rain in the next 24 hours. Chief Secretary A. Santhi Kumari reviewed the situation with all district collectors and asked them to gear up to meet every eventuality.
Floodwaters has swept away roads and small bridges disrupting the movement of people in several districts. Some villages in Khammam and Mahbubabad districts, which are marooned in flood waters, remain cut off.
The unprecedented rain has badly damaged standing crops in lakhs of acres. The agriculture department is waiting till the flood waters recede to estimate the crop loss. Reports indicate that standing paddy and cotton crops in eight districts, mostly in Warangal, Mahbubabad, Khammam, Nalgonda, Suryapet and Siddipet districts, have been washed away.
Traffic on the national highway between Hyderabad and Vijayawada remains affected. Vehicles were stranded for hours together due to the damage to the road at Garikapadu in Andhra Pradesh. In a significant development, authorities have restored the road late Monday evening, while traffic was diverted through the Guntur route.
The heavy flood in Munneru river has disconnected many villages and disrupted normal life in Khammam district. The railway line was badly damaged at four places in Mahbubabad district, the ballast washing away and tracks hanging in the air. The services were affected in the Vijayawada-Kazipet route as flood water was flowing over the railway track in Tallapoosapally.
Weather officials predicted normal showers across Telangana in the next 24 hours but warned of heavy rain over extreme north-west of Telangana to the west of Nirmal. Except Bhainsa and Mudhole regions, heavy rainfall is predicted in Maharashtra.
As heavy inflows reach Sriramsagar project from the upper areas of Maharashtra in Godavari river, project authorities have lifted nine gates and released over 36000 cusecs of water. The project is receiving 1.96 lakh cusecs of water.
The water from Srirasmsagar project, coupled with water released from Kadam project and Pranahita river is likely to result in a flood situation in the downstream areas of the river at Bhadrachalam.
Meanwhile, the BJP national president J.P. Nadda expressed concern over the grim situation in Telangana. He spoke to Union minister G. Kishan Reddy and urged him to work in tandem with state government officials in the rescue operations, especially in providing food and clean water to the people. He also asked party workers to take part in relief works.