10 more killed as heavy rains pound Telangana, Andhra Pradesh for second day

Hyderabad/Amaravati: Torrential rains battered Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for the second consecutive day, resulting in at least 10 more fatalities, flooding and waterlogging in several areas, and disruptions to road and rail traffic on Sunday.

As many as 99 trains were cancelled, four trains were partially cancelled and 54 were diverted due to heavy rains and waterlogging over tracks at multiple locations on the South Central Railway network, an SCR official said.

Rivers in both states were in spate and thousands of people were evacuated by national and state disaster response forces from flooded areas to relief camps.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy and assured them of all possible help from the central government to deal with rains and floods.

Telangana Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said despite several precautionary measures, nine persons lost their lives in various parts of the state in separate rain-related incidents.

Three persons were also feared washed away in Mahabubabad and Khammam districts.

In districts like Suryapet, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Mahbubabad and Khammam, authorities evacuated residents of several flood-hit villages to safety, he said.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy held an emergency review meeting.

Hyderabad also witnessed heavy rains and the continued overnight downpour led to waterlogging in many parts of the city.

Due to the forecast of more heavy rains in Hyderabad district, a holiday has been declared for all schools on September 2, officials said.

District Collectors have been asked to declare a holiday for educational institutions as per local conditions on September 2.

Residents of a locality in Khammam district were stranded on rooftops as large areas remained marooned.

The weather department on Sunday issued a red alert for very heavy to extremely heavy rain at isolated places in Adilabad, Nizamabad, Rajanna Sircilla, Yadadri Bhuvangiri, Vikarabad, Sangareddy, Kamareddy and Mahabubnagar districts of Telangana till 8.30 am of September 2.

Several places in Andhra Pradesh are also expected to receive rainfall, including heavy rainfall in some places.

Parts of Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram, Parvatipuram Manyam, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Kakinada and Nandyala districts are likely to receive heavy rainfall, said an official release.

Alerting people living in low-lying areas, Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority managing director R Kurmandh said the first level warning has been issued at Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada as the Krishna river is in spate, following heavy inflow.

Andhra Pradesh has reported nine rain-related deaths and one missing case since Saturday. The state had reported eight deaths a day earlier.

In the worst affected Vijayawada district, Budameru, a rivulet on the outskirts of the district, overflowed at several points on Sunday, leading to flooding in many city localities such as Ajit Singh Nagar, Swathi Theatre area, Police Nagar area and west and central constituencies.

Many houses and vehicles were submerged in these areas and others. At Rajarajeswari Peta in the city, people were seen wading through chest-deep water on a flooded street.

"Due to the heavy rain, Vijayawada and Guntur cities have been completely marooned. Vijayawada-Guntur national highway at Kaza and Vijayawada-Hyderabad national highway at Jaggaiahpeta were totally marooned," Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said at a press conference at the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) in Tadepalli, According to the CM, Jaggaiahpeta received 26 cm rainfall in 24 hours while 14 mandals registered over 20 cm rainfall.

He said 94 more places in 14 districts received rainfall between 7 and 12 cm and added that nine rain-related deaths and one missing case were reported.

Noting that up to 2 lakh cusecs of rainwater entered Budameru, he said the state is unable to estimate how much more water is expected to flow in.

According to the CM, flood water supposed to be diverted to Kolleru Lake was turning towards Vijayawada and it resulted in the city being flooded.

"We are making reinforcements downstream of Prakasam Barrage with sandbags and other means and alerted the district collectors," said Naidu on the measures being taken to alleviate rain woes.

The CM said that 17,000 rain-affected people were evacuated to 107 relief camps while over 1.1 lakh hectares of agricultural fields and 7,360 hectares of horticultural fields were damaged.

Naidu said arrangements for food were being made at the rehabilitation centres for the people Earlier, Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar said that following the Home Minister's orders, nine NDRF teams, three each from Chennai, Visakhapatnam, and Assam, have been dispatched to Telangana.

A portion of gravel under the railway track near Kesamudram in Mahabubabad district was washed away due to floodwaters, resulting in passengers on a train being stranded at Kesamudram railway station.

The SCR official said due to incessant rains in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana over the past 24 hours there has been flooding and breaches in Kazipet to Vijayawada section and five trains in that section were stranded even as officials moved 15 trains via a diverted path.

Due to heavy rains, water is flowing on NH 65 at Chillakallu and Nandigama in Andhra Pradesh and the Paleru River is overflowing on the road at Nayakinigudem on the way from Suryapet to Khammam in Telangana, officials said.

Therefore, vehicles have been stopped on this route and those going to Vijayawada via Suryapet and those going to Khammam should put off their journey, Suryapet District Superintendent of Police Sunpreet Singh said in a release.

Malyal in Mahabubabad district received the highest rainfall of 40 cm followed by Mahabubabad 37 cm and Kodada in Suryapet district 35 cm (till 8.30 am on Sunday).

Meanwhile, the depression over north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts, which has been causing heavy rainfall over the past two days, moved northwestwards to cross the southern state's coast near Kalingapatnam in the wee hours of Sunday, said a India Meteorological Department official.

The weather system currently lay centred over south Odisha and adjoining north Andhra Pradesh, about 90 km north to northwest of Visakhapatnam and 120 km east of Malkangiri.

"It is likely to move west-northwestwards across south Odisha and south Chhattisgarh to weaken into a well-marked low pressure area during the next 24 hours," the official said in a press release.