Remnant of cyclone Montha wreaks havoc in TG

The remnant of Cyclone Motha, which has weakened into a deep depression, wreaked devastation in Telangana, bringing heavy rains, flooding in the southern and central districts, with more rain in store for the northern districts. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has put the entire administration on high alert in view of the relentless rain in the state, including Hyderabad.

The IMD has issued a red alert for several districts, warning that there would be more heavy rain, gusty winds, and flash floods over the next 48 hours. Train services have been badly hit by rainwater submerging the tracks in Mahbubabad, and a few trains were diverted or terminated.

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The Golkonda Express and Konark Express were halted at Dornakal railway station after the tracks were completely flooded. A lorry driver, along with his vehicle, was swept away in the overflowing stream in Khammam district. A tribal welfare school and college in Kompally was submerged, and 530 students and 26 staff members had to be rescued by police. Uppunuthala in Nagarkurnool district received a whopping 20 cm of rain in just 12 hours. Several areas in Warangal city were flooded. Warangal, Kazipet, and Hanamkonda witnessed a deluge, and the administration even advised people not to venture out and shift to higher floors if the area was prone to flooding. Many reported that water had submerged the main roads, stranding commuters, pedestrians, and motorists.

Officials lifted the gates of both Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar as both reservoirs stand a few feet below their full tank level. The floodwaters from the Himayat Sagar even damaged the service road of the Outer Ring Road. The Chief Minister instructed officials to stop vehicular traffic on low-level bridges and causeways that are likely to be flooded due to heavy rain. Police and revenue officials were told to set up barricades at such spots near flooded bridges. The state irrigation department was told to alert district collectors before releasing water from overflowing dams and barrages.