IMD Issues Red Alert for Telangana

Hyderabad: The extended Independence Day weekend in Telangana promises to bring more rain to the state on Sunday, with the brunt of the heavy rainfall and red alerts for the same issued to some north Telangana districts as was the case on Saturday.

With the Indian Meteorological Department issuing a red alert for some districts warning them that they could face very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall for the second straight day on Sunday, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Saturday placed the entire administration on alert in the state. According to the IMD, 15 districts recorded heavy rainfall, while the remaining districts received normal rainfall since Friday night.

The Chief Minister, who inquired from officials about flood situation and relief operations in the heavy rain affected districts, issued instruction to deploy NDRF and SDRF teams in advance and coordinate with district collectors for relief operations in the flood-hit habitations, and areas where the continuing rains might lead to flooding.

Revanth Reddy directed authorities to shift families from low lying areas to relief camps in view of the increasing risk of overflow of canals, rivulets and ponds. Irrigation department officials were tasked with monitoring water levels in reservoirs, canals and other water bodies, and alert district administrations on release of flood waters. To prevent untoward accidents, the police and revenue departments were instructed to barricade roads and low level bridges and causeways that are likely to be face floods, or which are already facing such conditions.

The Chief Minister said municipal, urban and village administrations must ensure sanitation in areas prone to mosquito breeding due to water stagnation. All medical facilities should be prepared to afford care to the needy and precautions must be taken to prevent loss of life, property and livestock, Revanth Reddy said.

With respect to the city, the Chief Minister took stock of the situation in Greater Hyderabad limits and ordered the GHMC , HYDRAA, SDRF and fire services wings to respond immediately to the requests from people for relief.

Meanwhile, the IMD issued a red alert for five districts of Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Hanamkonda, Mahbubabad, Mulugu and Warangal districts for Sunday, down from eight – Adilabad, Komaram Bheem-Asifabad, Mancherial, Bhadadri-Kothagudem, Jayashankar-Bhupalapalli, Mahabubabad, and Mulugu - that faced similar alerts on Saturday. The erstwhile unified Adilabad bore the brunt of Saturday’s downpours with rainfall in excess of 17 cms recorded in some places in between 8.30 am and 7 pm on Saturday.

With heavy inflows into various projects, water releases were stepped from Kadam, Mattadi vagu, Sathnala, Komaram Bheem and Sripada Yellampalli projects, while flood waters entered several areas of Mancherial town.

Reports of localised floods were also received from Mulugu, Jayashankar Bhupalapalli districts while coal mining was halted in the opencast mines of Singareni in Mancherial district.