Flood-affected areas of Kamareddy and Medak districts in Telangana remained submerged on Friday as authorities intensified relief operations amid heavy rain lashing parts of north Telangana.
Floodwaters from the Pocharam project washed away a section of the Medak–Yellareddy highway, bringing vehicular traffic to a complete halt. Army teams were deployed to rescue eight people stranded after a portion of the bridge on the highway was swept away.
In a separate operation, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescued eight persons trapped in floods in the Manjira River in Nizamabad district.
Traffic was severely disrupted on National Highway 44 (Hyderabad–Nagpur highway) in Kamareddy district, where flood damage caused a 15-km-long jam from Sadashivnagar mandal to Bhiknoor. Vehicles moved at a snail’s pace, while District Superintendent of Police Rajesh Chandra monitored the situation on the ground.
For the second consecutive day, educational institutions in Medak and Kamareddy districts remained closed due to the floods.
Heavy rainfall also led to massive inflows into the Godavari River, prompting authorities to open the gates of multiple projects to release water downstream.
Meanwhile, in Mulugu district, the Godavari River at Ramannagudem in Eturanagaram mandal crossed the first danger mark on Thursday, with the water level rising to 14.83 meters. With forecasts indicating a further rise, the District Collector instructed flood duty officers to remain positioned for immediate relief and rescue operations.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rainfall in several parts of the state on Friday and Saturday. Extremely heavy rain is likely in Kamareddy and Nizamabad districts, where a red alert has been issued. An orange alert is in place for Medak, along with the erstwhile Adilabad and Karimnagar districts.
(With inputs from IANS)