Army and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were pressed into service for relief works in rain-hit areas of Hyderabad on Saturday as some residential areas remained under water for the fourth day.
Personnel from the Army and the NDRF swung into action for relief operations in Alwal, one of the worst-hit suburbs. The floods situation in parts of Hyderabad and other districts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh remained grim as many places were inundated. Extensive damage to roads and Railway tracks has badly hit traffic in both the States, forcing the authorities to cancel 15 trains and divert 21 others.
All the trains passing through Guntur were affected as the tracks were damaged at many places in the district and flood water was flowing over the tracks at other places. long distance trains between Hyderabad, Chennai, Howrah and Tirupati were diverted.
The current spell of rain over Andhra Pradesh has broken a 27-year-old record in Telangana. According to the Meteorlogical Centre, Armoor in Nizamabad district recorded 39 cm of rain on a single day on Friday.
The previous record was 35.5 cm in 1989. However the highest rainfall in day in Hyderabad City was 24 cm on August 24, 2000.
Death toll in rain related mishaps in the two Telugu States over the last four days has mounted to 27 as more deaths were reported from the worst affected Medak district.
In Hyderabad, where many colonies including Nizampet, Alwal, Qutbullapur and Chandangar remained under water, the intensity of the rain has come down over the last 24 hours. Except areas like Alwal, Kapra and Qutbullahpur where it rained heavily Friday evening, the other parts of the city received only intermittent moderate rainfall improving the general conditions.
Four teams of 60 National Disaster Relief Force personnel were busy in the relief and rescue operations in Nizampet, Kukatpally, Chandanagar and Miyapur areas.
Army troops have been moved into Begumpet, Nizampet and Hakimpet areas in the city and Alwal in Ranga Reddy district to provide necessary relief, according to a Defence release.
However the city was still not out of danger as dark clouds were hovering menacingly on Saturday evening and the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of more rains over the next four days under the influence of a well marked low pressure area over north coastal Andhra and adjoining parts of Chhattisgarh and Telangana.
The IMD has warned heavy to very heavy rain at a few places with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in the districts of Hyderabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Mahbubnagar, Nizamabad, Ranga Reddy and Warangal over the next 48 hours.
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who returned from New Delhi on Saturday morning held a high-level review meeting with Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma, Director General of Police Anurag Sharma, GHMC Commissioner B Janardhan Reddy, Hyderabad Police Commissioner Mahinder Reddy and others. He directed the officials to expedite the rescue and relief operations in the inundated areas of Hyderabad and other districts in the State. He wanted the officials to give top priority to supply of safe drinking water and food to the stranded families.
He directed all the Ministers and the other elected representatives to be available to the people around the clock and supervise the relief and rescue work.
With most of the rivers and rivulets in Telangana region in spate, all the reservoirs were brimming with water. Authorities have opened the flood gates of Jurala project in Mahbubnagar, Kadem project in Adilabad, Manjira Dam in Medak district. Around 70,000 cusecs water was being released from Singur dam by lifting nine gates.
After Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts, Medak and Warangal were the worst-hit by heavy rain as many parts of the districts were in the grip of floods.
Three more deaths were reported form different places in Medak district which recorded 11 cms of rain in 24 hours. One person died in a wall collapse incident in Burra Hanumanpally village near Siddipet while a boy was washed away in Sadasivpet mandal and another person was washed away in a flooded rivulet in the same district.
In a heart rending incident under Kalcharam police station, a person died while trying to save his son stuck in a car in flooded water. While the son Srikant was rescued by the local people, the 58-year-old father Nayini Swamy was washed away.
A truck was precariously hanging from a bridge over Manjira river in Manur mandal of Medak district. The driver had tried to drive the truck through flood waters while getting washed way in the powerful current it got stock over the protective wall. Driver and the cleaner saved their lives by jumping out of the vehicle.
Officials said that they have sought the help of helicopters for the relief and rescue operations in the marooned areas.
In Warangal several tanks had developed breaches leaving crops over thousands of acres submerged. In Warangal and Hanmakonda city the rain water had flooded several colonies forcing the people to evacuate to safer places. Police Commissioner Sudhir Babu said that over 40 rescue and relief teams were working to help the stranded people.
In Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu undertook an aerial survey of the flood hit areas of Guntur districts where the roads and the railway tracks have suffered extensive damages. He later held a review meeting with District Collector Kantilal Dande and other officials of the rescue and relief operations.
