Heavy rains witnesses in Telangana State

Incessant downpour since Sunday threw life out of gear in most parts of Telangana State on Tuesday. A youth, Mallela Ravi, was washed away while trying to cross an overflowing weir of Rathoni tank at Penuballi in erstwhile Khammam district.

Heavy to very heavy and even extremely heavy rains occurred in isolated places in erstwhile Khammam district where severe inclement weather conditions continue to persist for over 36 hours. Heavy rains were witnessed in Hyderabad and its surrounding areas, besides the districts of Nagarkurnool, Medak, Suryapet, Nalgonda, Warangal and Wanaparthy since Monday evening.

Erstwhile Khammam district was the worst hit due. Sathupalli town was flooded with the rainwater. Main thoroughfares in the majority of the towns and highways at many places were flooded and witnessed water-logging affecting the vehicular movement. At a few places, the roads were washed away. Meanwhile, the water level in river Godavari at Bhadrachalam has been rising slowly due to incessant rains the catchment area of Godavari River and as its tributaries. The water level was recorded to be 18.5 feet on Tuesday morning.

According to the Indian Meterological Department, the deep depression over west central Bay of Bengal made a landfall close to Kakinada on Tuesday morning and had weakened into a depression. It will further weaken into a well-marked low pressure area during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday. A trough from the cyclonic circulation associated with this weather system persists. Further, a fresh low pressure area is likely to form over north Andaman Sea and neighbourhood on October 14. Heavy rain has been



forecast across all the districts for the next 24 hours.

Since Monday afternoon, heavy to very heavy rain occurred at a few places with extremely heavy rain at isolated places in the districts of Mancherial, Peddapalle, Karimnagar, Rajanna Siricilla, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Siddipet, Mulugu, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Warangal Urban and Warangal Rural, Mahabubabad, Khammam, Suryapet, Nalgonda, Yadadri Bhongir, Nagar Kurnool and Jangaon. Sathupalle in Khammam district received highest rainfall of 19 cm, followed by Mahabubabad town with 13 cm and Aswaraopet (A) in Bhadradri Kothagudem district with 12 cm.

Due to the heavy downpour, several trees and electric poles were uprooted in the districts of Warangal, Mahabubabad, Khammam, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Nalgonda, Suryapet, and parts of erstwhile Mahabubnagar among others. Streams, rivulets and tanks are overflowing, prompting the officials to issue warning signals against crossing them. Road connectivity between several remote areas was cut-off due to overflowing of water on low-lying bridges and causeways. Standing crops too were reported to have got damaged in several parts of the State due to heavy downpour.

In erstwhile Nalgonda district, rains paralysed the normal life. Several colonies like VT Colony and Peddabanda in Nalgonda town as well as Sundarayya Colony and its adjancent areas near Komati Cheruvu of Suryapet, were flooded with rain water. Udhaya Samudram Balancing Reservoir at Pangal is brimming with heavy inflows and is on the verge of overflowing, as water levels fall short of the full tank capacity by just two feet.