The flood situation in Kamareddy and Medak districts of Telangana remained grim on Thursday as heavy rain continued to batter the region, inundating towns, villages, and transport networks.
Torrential rains since Tuesday night have wreaked havoc in the two districts, with overflowing streams, lakes, and ponds submerging low-lying areas and cutting off several roads and railway tracks. Drone visuals from Kamareddy town show large parts of the area underwater, leaving residents stranded as fresh spells of rain worsened the situation.
Authorities declared holidays for all educational institutions in Kamareddy, Medak, Adilabad, Karimnagar, and Jagtial districts. Heavy to very heavy rains also lashed Siddipet and Nirmal districts on Thursday, while the Manjira River swelled dangerously due to continuous inflows.
Rescue operations are underway to evacuate people trapped in floodwaters. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar requested Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to deploy an IAF helicopter for rescue operations in Kamareddy and Sircilla districts, where about 30 people are stranded. Singh immediately instructed officials at Hakimpet Air Force Station to dispatch a helicopter, the minister added.
Meanwhile, the Manair River, a tributary of the Godavari, is in spate, with the Mid Manair Dam receiving massive inflows. Rajampet in Kamareddy district recorded a staggering 44.05 cm of rainfall in less than 24 hours between 8:30 a.m. on August 27 and 7 a.m. on August 28. Nirmal Rural mandal in Nirmal district recorded 32.53 cm, while Havelighanpur in Medak district received 31.6 cm. Kamareddy town itself recorded 30.85 cm. Over 20 locations registered rainfall above 20 cm, while more than 50 places received between 11.5 cm and 20 cm.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Medak, Kamareddy, Siddipet, Nizamabad, and Nirmal districts. An orange alert is in place for 15 districts, while the remaining districts, including Hyderabad, are under a yellow alert.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is scheduled to conduct an aerial survey of flood-affected areas in Kamareddy and Medak on Thursday. Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao reviewed rescue and relief efforts in a late-night teleconference with Collectors of Medak, Kamareddy, Nizamabad, Nirmal, and Sircilla. Senior officials, including Special Chief Secretary (Disaster Management) Arvind Kumar, Irrigation Chief Secretary Rahul Bojja, and Fire Services Director General Nagi Reddy, also participated in the teleconference.
Ramakrishna Rao directed district administrations to remain on high alert, stressing that NDRF and SDRF teams would be deployed as required. Irrigation officials informed him that inflows into the 103-year-old Pocharam reservoir had started to recede after peaking at 1.82 lakh cusecs – far exceeding its designed Maximum Flood Discharge capacity of 70,000 cusecs. Despite the record inflows, the reservoir withstood the pressure without damage.
(With inputs from IANS)