Telangana Government issues flash flood warning for 19 districts

In Telangana, incessant rains continue to lash several parts of the state. State Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has directed the entire government machinery to be on high alert. The government has issued a flash flood risk warning for 19 districts. Over 100 villages have been inundated in Khammam district, which witnessed over 52 cm of rainfall yesterday, while hundreds of people in the affected areas are being shifted to relief camps. NDRF teams are being rushed from other states.

The Union Minister of State for Home, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, said the severity of the situation has been conveyed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and he issued orders for dispatching nine NDRF teams, three each from Chennai, Visakhapatnam, and Assam.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has asked three of the state ministers to monitor the relief operations in the submerged areas. One person died and three others were feared washed away in separate rain-related incidents in the state.

Met officials have further warned that heavy rains are likely to continue tomorrow, with Khammam, Mahabubabad, Warangal, and Suryapet districts being among the worst hit areas due to the heavy rains. Train services also got hit as tracks were breached due to heavy rain at three places in South Central



Railways.

The entire state is drenched due to the incessant rains that have been lashing several parts of the state for the past 2 days. Normal life has been paralysed in the affected areas. Dozens of villages have been flooded. Hundreds of people have been stranded on hillocks, building tops, and on highways as rivers are on spate and rivulets and streams are overflowing.

Heavy rains have wreaked havoc, especially in Khammam, Suryapet, and Mahabubabad districts, leading to severe disruptions in transportation and communication. Thousands of vehicles are stranded as streams are overflowing at some parts of the National Highway No. 65, which is linking Hyderabad and Vijayawada. Relief measures are underway to shift the people from inundated areas to safe locations. Meanwhile, NDRF teams are being rushed to carry out rescue and relief operations in the affected areas.

In Hyderabad, Commissioner of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Amrapali urged people not to venture out unless it is very urgent. Over 600 disaster response teams from different departments are on the field to attend to issues arising from the heavy rains. Sluice gates of the Hussain Sagar in the heart of the city were lifted as the water level in the lake increased.