Overnight Incessant rains battered Telangana, particularly the Kamareddy and Medak districts, causing massive flooding leaving scores trapped by overflowing water bodies and disrupting road and rail traffic.
Kamareddy was badly hit, with the railway tracks washed away, forcing authorities to suspend all trains on the Nizamabad route, while the National Highway between the district and Hyderabad was closed due to flooding. The district administration and SDRF have rescued more than 500 people in Medak and Kamareddy, including students. With more rains predicted, many districts in north Telangana are facing the threat of floods.
Kamareddy town and the surrounding villages received more than 300 mm of rainfall since yesterday, leading to widespread flooding. The Rajampet area in the district received more than 499 mm of rain. Numerous lakes, streams and rivulets, including Kamareddy cheruvu, overflowed with both Manjeera and Manair rivers in spate.
With low-lying areas completely submerged many residential colonies were inundated. Cars were floating around as the district administration evacuated people from the flooded colonies. Around 350 students residing at the students’ hostel of SC Women’s Degree College were rescued by the fire station crew, another 80 students from the SC and ST Welfare Hostel in Ramayampet by the local fire station crew. Nine people stranded on a tanker at Yellareddy mandal were rescued by TGSDRF and a police team.
Disaster Management Secretary Arvind Kumar said more than 30 cms of rain was received by the Kamareddy and Medak districts. Water was flowing at the danger level in the Pocharam project, an earthen dam, posing risk to habitations downstream. With more rain predicted, the flood situation is likely to worsen in the Medak and Kamareddy districts.
Medak Congress leader Mynampally Hanumanth Rao was heard assuring trapped villagers that a helicopter would be sent to rescue them. According to South Central Railway, floodwaters flowing over tracks led to the suspension of all trains on the Kamareddy-Nizamabad route. Several trains have been diverted and partially cancelled in Hyderabad division due to water overflowing on the tracks. The national highway between Kamareddy and Hyderabad has been closed at Jangampalli as floodwaters overflowed into the highway.
Meanwhile, after a review meeting, state Revenue Minister Ponguletti Srinivas Reddy said, “We are monitoring the situation and relief efforts in the Kamareddy and Medak districts following instructions from the chief minister with the district administration. The police have been instructed not to allow vehicles on roads overflowing with floodwater.” Additional SDRF teams are being sent to Medak, Kamareddy, Nirmal and Sircilla districts.