Hyderabad: Amid heavy rainfall, the first danger alert has been issued as water level of the Godavari river in Telangana's Bhadrachalam has risen and a yellow alert has been sounded across nine districts while two deaths have been recorded till now.
Two deaths in rain-related incidents
Pantangi Lakshmaiah (55), a cowherd from Lenkalagadda village of Palimela mandal in Jayashankar Bhupalapally district, got drenched in the heavy rain and died after sustaining cold on Sunday. Prior to which, Tekam Laxman (22), a resident of Bopparikunta in Utnuru Mandal of Adilabad District, fell into the stream while crossing the check dam built on the Vankatumma near Gangapur on Saturday night.
It has been raining heavily for the last three days bringing life to a standstill in the state as most rivers are overflowing. The Godavari river crossed 43 feet at Bhadrachalam on Sunday. Following which, Collector Jitesh V Patil issued the first danger warning, which is the first such alert that has been sounded in this season. At 11 pm on Sunday, the water level was at 44.8 feet in Bhadrachalam and if it reaches 48 feet, a second danger warning is likely to be sounded.
Due to the rainfall, the production of coal in Singareni has been disrupted and crops were submerged in many places. Also, the water inflow in irrigation projects of Godavari and Krishna river basins have also increased. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy conducted a review of the flood situation on Sunday.
Yellow alert in 9 districts
The Meteorological Department has predicted moderate rainfall in the state till Wednesday. On Monday, there is a prediction of rain along with thunder and lightning in Adilabad, Kumuram Bhim Asifabad, Manchiryala, Jayashankar Bhupalapalli, Mulugu, Bhadradri, Khammam, Nalgonda and Suryapet districts. A yellow alert has been sounded in all these districts. In the rest of the districts, there may be light rain. It has been stated that a low pressure has developed between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
Traffic disruption in many places
Traffic has been disrupted in many areas. In Charla mandal of Khammam district, traffic came to a halt in four villages due to the rising water level in Etha Vagu. Kothapalli, Lingapuram, and Gompalli were snapped off from the mandal centre Chars. In Dummugudem mandal of the same district, Sita vagu and Gubbala Mangi vagu are also overflowing. Due to flood water at Chhati, traffic on the road from Telangana connecting Chhattisgarh and Odisha has been severely disrupted.
Waterlogging on the national highway of the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border is also witnessing traffic disruption. Police are not allowing motorists on this stretch while RTC buses were stopped due to flooding on the main road from Bhadrachalam to Chintoor in the Alluri Seetharamaraju district of Andhra Pradesh. Also, necessary arrangements are being made to combat the situation.
Communication snapped with many villages
Rivers are overflowing in the united Warangal district while communication has been snapped with about 20 villages across Mulugu district. Traffic was disrupted between Telangana and Chhattisgarh after Godavari flooded National Highway 163 at Tekupalli in Vajedu mandal. Godavari was flowing at 15.83 meters till 5 pm at Peruru. The water level of Godavari in Ethurunagaram mandal is close to the first danger level. Marivagu between Peruru-Chandrupatla villages and Kongala River between Vajedu-Gummadidoddi villages are overflowing. The streams in Kalipaka, Sitarampuram, and Muttharam were overflowing along with Jampanna river.
In Bhupalapalli district, connunication with 15 villages have been snapped. An underconstruction bridge bypass road over a stream near Sultanpur of Gorikottapalli mandal, was swept away by the flood. Due to the overflowing of Maneru and Chalivagu in Tekumatla Mandal, communication to the nearby villages and districts of Karimnagar and Adilabad has been snapped. In Kothaguda, Guduru, and Bayyaram Mandals of the Mahabubabad district, traffic was suspended in five villages due to the overflowing streams. Kothavada (Padmasali) colony in Sriramulapalli village of Kamalapur mandal of Hanumakonda district was also inundated.
The Penganga river on the border of Telangana and Maharashtra is flowing at higher levels in Adilabad district. Tourists have been restricted at Kuntala and Pochhara waterfalls in Adilabad.
Mortad records highest rainfall
Heavy rainfall has lashed several districts. The highest rainfall of 14 cm has been recorded in Mortad of Nizamabad district while 13cm rainfall was recorded in Mallapur of Jagityala district. This apart, 13cm was recorded in Metpalli, 13cm in Sarangapur of Nirmal district, 12cm in Lakshmanachanda, 12cm in Khanapur, 12cm in Balkonda of Nizamabad district, 11cm in Kammarpally, 11cm in Navipet, 11cm in Bhimgal, 10cm in Jannaram of Mancharya district recorded
According to the Meteorological Department, on Sunday, 280 percent more than normal rainfall was recorded in a single day across the state. Compared to the average of 8.7 mm, the state recorded 33.1 mm of rainfall. Since June this year, the normal rainfall in the state has been 270.1 cm against 356.2 cm that should have been registered. Many districts have overcome their deficit rainfall in the past three days. However, there is still a deficit of 18 percent rain in Medak district and 11 percent in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district
Singareni faces coal production losses of 3.3 lakh tonnes
Due to rains, the production in coal mines, mainly in surface mines has been hampered in all the six districts where Singareni is located. Singareni produces 2.1 lakh tonnes of coal on a normal day and in the last three days, the daily production has reached 90,000 tons. Production of a total of 3.3 lakh tonnes was disrupted in three days. Huge losses occurred in Manuguru, Mandamarri, Srirampur, Ramagundam-1, Ramagundam-2, Ramagundam-3 and Bhupalapalli areas as not even 30 to 50 percent production could be impossible.
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