Hyderabad: Three people died in a lightning strike during a thunderstorm in Vikarabad district as heavy rains wreaked havoc across Telangana state. The tragic incident occurred in Yalal mandal, where lightning strikes claimed the lives of Venkataiah, Srinivas, and Lakshmappa. One other person was seriously injured and was subsequently shifted to Tandoor Government Hospital. The storm also caused trees to be uprooted and power poles to collapse, resulting in widespread power outages.
The IMD has issued a yellow alert for Telangana state, forecasting moderate to heavy rains.
The rains brought significant disruption to daily life, particularly affecting farmers. In Kamareddy district, farmers faced severe difficulties as thunderstorms accompanied by strong winds and heavy rain inundated several paddy procurement centres. The villages of Adloor, Tekriyal, Lingapur, and Domakonda Mandal were particularly hard hit, with harvested paddy submerged in water. Farmers, who had brought their produce to the procurement centres 20 days ago, expressed frustration over the lack of timely collection, exacerbated by a shortage of labourers and lorries. The ongoing rains have led to paddy crops getting soaked and sprouting, further adding to the farmers’ woes. Scattered heavy rains affected various parts of the state, particularly in Medak, Medchal, Sangareddy, Siddipet, Yadadri, Vikarabad, and Rangareddy.
In Hyderabad, the downpour caused temporary waterlogging in several areas, including Bowenpally, Trimulgherry, Alwal, Marredpally, Chilkalguda, Begumpet and Paradise and significant traffic disruptions as drainage systems overflowed. These short-lived thunderstorms have been intense, later affecting north Hyderabad areas such as Kukatpally, Balanagar, Nizampet, Miyapur, Jeedimetla, and Alwal. Fresh rains also spread across Rajendranagar and Attapur.
A weather system extending from south Chhattisgarh through Telangana and Rayalaseema to south interior Karnataka, which caused the rain, weakened on Sunday.
The Indian Meteorological Department, Hyderabad, reported that light to moderate rains would continue across the state for three days, with isolated thunderstorms expected in some districts.
Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon is expected to reach Kerala by May 31 and enter Rayalaseema in the first week of June. The southwest monsoon has advanced over the Nicobar Islands. An area of low pressure is likely to form over the Bay of Bengal on May 22, potentially intensifying into a depression by May 24.
