Heavy rains in Telangana: CM asks ministers, MLAs, officials to be on alert

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday directed ministers, MLAs and officials to be on alert and be available to people in view of the forecast of heavy rains continuing for the next three days.

Rao held a meeting with ministers and officials here and spoke to others in the rain-hit areas on the situation arising out of heavy downpour in the state, an official release said Monday night.

The government machinery should be ready to deal with any situation, he said.

He directed the irrigation department officials to discharge the Godavari flood waters reaching SRSP and other reservoirs following incessant rainfall in neighbouring Maharashtra and the catchment areas in Telangana.

In view of the forecast of rains for the next one week or 10 days, people should take precautions and venture out only if it is necessary, he said.

Rao asked the Chief Secretary to keep NDRF and other rescue and relief teams ready, besides helicopters, to help people in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and also other places where the Godavari river flows.

With the third flood warning for Godavari river having been issued in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, the chief minister asked state Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar to stay put in the district on Tuesday as well.

During the meeting, the officials told him about the rain relief measures undertaken during the last couple of days.

They also told him that heavy rains lashed Nizamabad and few other places and that the situation is under control.

The MeT Centre of IMD here on Monday said heavy to very heavy with extremely heavy rain is very likely to occur at isolated places in Nalgonda, Suryapet, Mahabubabad, Jangaon, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri districts till 0830 hours of July 12.

Heavy to very heavy with extremely heavy rain is very likely to occur at isolated places in Siddipet, Sangareddy and Medak districts from 0830 hours on July 12 to 0830 hours of July 13, it said.

The water level in river Godavari at Bhadrachalam pushkar ghat in Bhadradri Kothagudem district reached 53.90 feet at 10 pm on Monday.

The district officials evacuated as many as 180 persons from 44 families in the affected villages on the banks of the river.

The district administration is fully prepared to address any emergency situation and personnel from NDRF have been stationed at Bhadrachalam to carry out relief operations in the case of any emergency, officials said.

Road links to many villages were snapped and vehicles were rerouted to safer roads in view of water logging on the roads in the affected areas.

The daily weather report issued at 8:30 AM Monday said very heavy rainfall occurred at isolated places in Bhadradri Kothagudem, Jayashankar Bhupalapally and others.

Kaleswaram in Jayashankar Bhupalapally district received 19 cm rainfall followed by Venkatapuram in Mulugu district (18 cm), it said.

Following incessant rains, rivulets and other water bodies were in spate at several places.