Ten more killed as heavy rains pound Telangana, Andhra Pradesh for 2nd day

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu with others reviews the rains and flood situation across the state/ PTI

Torrential rains continued to lash Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for the second day in a row, killing at least 10 people and causing severe floods. The unrelenting downpour has resulted in significant waterlogging, hampered road and rail operations, and forced thousands of inhabitants to move to relief camps.

According to a South Central Railway spokesman, 99 trains were cancelled, four partially cancelled, and 54 rerouted due to severe rains and saturated tracks. Rivers in both states have risen, forcing national and state disaster response teams to evacuate thousands from flood-prone locations, the PTI report stated.

Reportedly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have informed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy that the Union government will fully support them in managing the problem.

Telangana Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said that nine persons died in various rain-related accidents across the state, with three more believed to have been washed away in Mahabubabad and Khammam districts. Rising floodwaters forced the evacuation of several villages in districts including Suryapet, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Mahbubabad, and Khammam. Hyderabad has also been seriously damaged, with considerable waterlogging caused by continuous nocturnal rainfall. In reaction to the weather forecast, a holiday has been proclaimed for all schools in Hyderabad on September 2. Other districts have been asked to follow suit based on local conditions, the news agency report added.

Residents in Khammam district were stranded on roofs as large sections remained waterlogged. The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for very heavy to extremely heavy rain in many districts of Telangana, including Adilabad, Nizamabad, and Rajanna Sircilla, till 8:30 a.m. on September 2. Similar warnings have been issued for sections of Andhra Pradesh, with heavy rain predicted in Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram, and other districts.

Nine rain-related deaths and one missing person were reported in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday, adding to the eight recorded the day before. Floodwaters from the Budameru rivulet caused considerable flooding in numerous districts of Vijayawada, submerging homes and cars. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu underlined that torrential rainfall has inundated Vijayawada and Guntur, with key national highways submerged.

According to the PTI report, approximately 2 lakh cusecs of precipitation reached Budameru, causing catastrophic flooding in Vijayawada. The state is using sandbags and other steps to reinforce flood barriers downstream of the Prakasam Barrage. According to Naidu, 17,000 people have been evacuated to 107 relief camps, and more than 1.1 lakh hectares of agricultural and 7,360 hectares of horticultural land have been devastated.

Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar said that nine NDRF teams have been dispatched to Telangana to assist with rescue and relief efforts. Meanwhile, a part of the railway track in the Mahabubabad area was swept away, stranding people.

The depression that has generated torrential rains along the coasts of north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha is projected to deteriorate into a well-defined low-pressure region over the next 24 hours as it moves northwestward across south Odisha and south Chhattisgarh, the report added.