Hyderabad/ Bengaluru: Heavy rains for the past three days wreaked havoc in southern parts of the country including Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh causing inundation, crop loss and damage to lives and property.
In northern Karnataka, all major dams were filled to the brim while streams and lakes overflowed inundating villages. Districts of Kalaburgi, Yadgir and Bidar were severely affected.
Unprecedented torrential rain that wreaked havoc in Hyderabad and its suburbs in the last 24 hours claimed at least 17 lives and threw normal life out of gear.
In other areas in Telangana, another three people died in a house collapse incident in Nagarkurnool district. In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, too, heavy rains resulted in the death of 10 people in different parts of the state.
The recent rain-related damage is the third such instance in the past four months. Certain regions had twice suffered floods in August and September. Things were worse in parts of Telangana where incessant rainfall led to water-logging.
As many as nine people including three children were killed and four others injured in two separate incidents of a wall collapse at Bandlaguda in the old city of Hyderabad late on Tuesday.
Most parts of Hyderabad and adjoining areas remained inundated throughout Tuesday evening even as disaster response and relief teams led by NDRF, SDRF and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation's Disaster Response Force teams along with police and fire services personnel were on the ground. Overflowing tanks and lakes resulted in water entering homes in low-lying areas. Vehicles were washed away and power supply has been snapped in several localities.
The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre has said floodgates of all major dams in the Cauvery and Krishna basins have been opened. In Chincholi Taluk of Kalaburagi district, the stop-gates of Nagarala and Chandrampalli lakes were opened, flooding the nearby villages. Small islands were formed due to the sudden release of water from the lake.
Several localities in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits received very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall leading to water-logging on several roads and low lying areas. Rivulets and other water bodies were in spate in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district in the state following heavy rains and the administration has advised people not to travel on or cross such rivulets and inundated roads.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy held a high-level meeting and reviewed the situation. The Chief Minister ordered that ex-gratia be immediately paid to the victims' families. The amount, however, was not specified.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Telangana Chief Minister and his Andhra counterpart on Wednesday after the two states were hit by heavy rains and assured them of all possible support and assistance from the Centre in the rescue-and-relief work.
According to a press release: "In view of the unprecedented rains for the last 12 hours, as per the directions of the Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao, the Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar reviewed the flood situation today and declared public holidays in GHMC area to all government offices including all private institutions today and tomorrow." Telangana Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar has directed all Collectors, Commissioners of Police and Superintendents of Police and the complete district administration to be on high alert.
Not only this, Osmania University exams scheduled to be held on October 14 and October 15 and open exams at the Dr BR Ambedkar University are also postponed. The Osmania University exams from October 16 will go as per schedule.