Hyderabad: Amid heavy downpours continuing to pound the state, the government has declared holidays on Wednesday and Thursday for schools. The incessant rains caused fatalities in Mahabubnagar besides inundating low-lying areas and disrupting the road connectivity at multiple pockets. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao Tuesday directed the education department to declare holidays to all educational institutions in the state on Wednesday and Thursday in view of the heavy rains.
Fatalities-In Mahabubnagar, two girls were washed away in an overflowing stream, on Tuesday. The teenaged duo, crossing the stream, did not realise the current of water and got swept away, police said. Locals later traced the bodies of the girls and handed it over to the police who returned it to the bereaved formalities after post-mortem.
Nizamabad receives 40 cm rainfall- The Met Centre of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) in its 'Daily Weather Report of Telangana State' on Tuesday (0830 hours) said Velpur in Nizamabad district received 40 cm rainfall, followed by Jakranpalle and Bheemgal (23 cm each) both observatories from the same district. The rains led to inundation of low-lying areas in Warangal, Nizamabad and other districts.
Road links cut- The water bodies including rivulets were in spate at various places in the state following the heavy rains. The raging floods damaged the roads and disrupted the road links. It also submerged the standing crops. State Roads and Buildings Minister Vemula Prashant Reddy held a meeting with Nizamabad district administration. He took stock of the rainfall damage. He directed the district administration to restore traffic where roads were damaged and to evacuate people from low-lying areas to safety.
State Panchayat Raj Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao, along with public representatives and officials, visited the localities which faced inundation in Warangal and spoke to the residents there. He said people of low-lying areas have been shifted to relief camps and that food and accommodation have been provided to them. He asked the officials to take up relief measures, a release said.
In Hyderabad, Asifnagar which falls under the ambit of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits, received the highest amount of rainfall of 4.3 cm. Residential localities at Saidabad and others in the city faced waterlogging following the rains. Though there were reports of wall collapse and tree fall incidents, no one was injured, a GHMC release stated.
Stay home advisory- GHMC Mayor Vijaya Lakshmi R Gadwal instructed the civic body officials to stay alert in view of forecast of heavy rains during the next couple of days and also to take steps to ensure that people do not face any problems, the release further said. It noted that as many as 428 monsoon emergency teams have been set up. She also directed the municipal officials to ensure that stagnated water on roads be drained out at the earliest. The mayor appealed to the city residents not to step out of their homes and to venture out only if it is necessary.
Read alert-In its 'impact-based heavy rainfall warning for districts of Telangana' issued at 4 pm, the Met Centre of IMD here forecast that (red warning) heavy to very heavy rain with extremely heavy rain is very likely to occur at isolated places in Karimnagar, Peddapally and other districts from 4 pm hours of July 25 to 8.30 am on July 26. Heavy rain is very likely to occur in several other districts during the same time period, it said. From 8.30 am of July 26 to 8.30 am on July 27, heavy to very heavy rain with extremely heavy rain is very likely to occur at isolated places in Khammam, Nalgonda and other districts.
It also forecast that heavy rain is very likely to occur in various districts of Telangana during the same time. In the 'impact-based forecast for heavy rainfall over Hyderabad and neighbourhood' issued at 8.30 pm on Tuesday, the Met Centre said heavy to very heavy rain and at times very intense spells are very likely to occur in the city on July 26. (with Agency inputs)
