Heavy rainfall killed 19 in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh

Heavy rainfall has led to the deaths of at least 19 people and has destroyed properties in the twin states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the extent of which has now been revealed by satellite data.

Captured on Sunday, the Sentinel-1 satellite’s remote sensing data shows vast tracts of land submerged under flood waters in the Khammam, Mahabubnagar, and Suryapet districts in Telangana, and the Guntur, Krishna, and Vijayawada districts in Andhra Pradesh.

Shades of green and blue in these false colour composite images, processed by India Today, represent flood waters, while hues of mustard yellow indicate concrete structures and settlements. The different colours of the flood waters are due to variations in sediments and dissolved substances.

In Guntur, the city’s southern, southeastern, northern, and northwestern parts are the hardest hit. The situation appears alarming in



Uppalapadu, where a man and his two children were killed after their car was swept away by an overflowing lake on Sunday.

A low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal brought heavy rains to many parts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh over the weekend, inundating roads, agricultural fields, and urban neighbourhoods. Rivers in spate have washed away portions of crucial roads, bridges, and railway lines in several places.

Khammam and Warangal are the worst affected districts in Telangana.

Meanwhile, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the rain fury a national calamity. He has instructed officials to ensure the restoration of power and drinking water supplies in the flood-affected areas.

He announced Rs 5 crore in assistance for Khammam, Mahabubabad, Suryapet, and Bhadradri Kothagudem as immediate relief measures.