Incessant rain in T'gana, relief efforts on at several places

The heavy rain inundated several areas in Warangal and 4,500 people were shifted to safer places in the city, according to a release. It said 97 residential colonies in 34 wards faced flooding and around 16,000 people were being provided with water and food.

Hundreds of people were shifted to safer places in Telangana on Monday as several water bodies and the Godavari river were in spate due to incessant rain for the past few days, causing inundation of low-lying areas and damages to roads. The water level in Godavari at Bhadrachalam in Bhadradri Kothagudem district at 8 pm was 61.4 feet, higher than the danger level of 53 ft. Around 5,000 people were shifted to relief camps in district, official sources said.

The Hyderabad civic body said in a release that 16 Disaster Response Force (DRF) teams, consisting 360 personnel, were working round the clock in three shifts in the city. All DRF teams, equipped with equipment and safety gear, are handling complaints of treefalls, waterlogging and other citizen-assistance issues, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation said.

Three DRF teams, including a boat team, are taking up rescue and relief operations in Warangal since Sunday. A total of 120 citizens have been rescued by the DRF in Warangal, it said. The heavy rain inundated several areas in Warangal and 4,500 people were shifted to safer places in the city, according to a release.

It said 97 residential colonies in 34 wards faced flooding and around 16,000 people were being provided with water and food. State ministers Errabelli Dayakar Rao and Satyavathi Rathod, who held a review on the situation, assured that all victims of flooding would be taken care of and that other relief measures would be undertaken, the release said.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who held a meeting with ministers and officials, instructed the authorities to be on high alert. Rao directed necessary measures be undertaken to prevent any loss to property or life. He said all precautionary measures should be taken in view of the forecast of heavy to very heavy rain for the next three to four days, according to the statement.

Observing that there is no dearth of funds to undertake relief measures, he said reports should be obtained on the situation on a daily basis from villages and urban areas for taking action. "Due to incessant rain for the past four-five days, tanks all over the state are full," Rao said.

"Water is flowing into all the reservoirs. Rivers, canals and rivulets are overflowing. As on date, the situation is under control. But the coming three to four days are crucial," he said. The chief minister directed that special relief camps be set up in areas that faced danger from floodwaters and arrangements should be made for the supply of food and shelter in the camps.

Rao instructed that masks and sanitizers be supplied to protect people from COVID-19. He said ministers and other public representatives should stay wherever they are and monitor the relief measures. He stressed on the need to prepare a permanent strategy to face such calamities in the future.

As heavy rain inundated Warangal, the CM held a special review on the situation in the city, another release said. Rao instructed Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao and Health Minister Eatela Rajender to visit the city on Tuesday to monitor the situation and take necessary action, it said.

According to official data, Yelkapalle and Dahegaon in Kumuram Bheem District district received 71.5 mm and 66 mm of rainfall respectively between 8.30 am and 6 pm on Monday. Several other places received moderate rainfall. In its weather warning, the Met Centre said there was a likelihood of thunderstorms at isolated places over Telangana on Tuesday. It said heavy rain was very likely to occur at isolated places in Adilabad, Nizamabad, Mulugu, Warangal and other districts.

Meanwhile, a TRS activist from Rajanna Sircilla district who was traveling in a car with three other friends fell in a rivulet on Sunday night. While the three persons were rescued, the TRS activist is missing.

TRS working president Rama Rao spoke to the district collector and asked him to step up rescue effort, party sources said.