Heavy rainfall continues to lash several parts of the State, leading to fatalities, widespread flooding, and severe damage to infrastructure.
Heavy rainfall continues to lash several parts of Telangana, leading to fatalities, widespread flooding, and severe damage to infrastructure.
At least three persons ave lost their lives so far. In the Neelakatta Vagu area of Domakonda, two individuals were swept away along with their vehicle, while another lost their life when a wall collapsed in Kamareddy district.
Rainfall has also reached extreme levels in multiple locations. 44 cm of rainfall was recorded at the Argonda station in Rajampet mandal of Kamareddy. 23 other areas reported more than 20 cm rain including 10 locations in Kamareddy, four in Nirmal, six in Medak and three in Nizamabad-Siddipet.
Officials said that this was the heaviest rainfall witnessed in such a short span in the last 50 years. Extensive farmland has been inundated, and crop damage assessments are underway.
The deluge has caused major disruption in Kamareddy district, paralysing daily life. Numerous roads were damaged, and a bridge connecting Bibipet to Kamareddy was completely washed away, leading to severe traffic congestion. On the National Highway (NH) Bypass near Kesampally, large potholes have emerged due to flooding, hampering vehicular movement towards Nizamabad.
The high-level bridge on the Medak-Bodhan main road was also swept away by heavy floodwaters entering the Pocharam reservoir, bringing traffic to a standstill. Barricades have been erected on both sides, and alternative routes have been arranged for vehicles.
NH-44 has also been damaged at several stretches, disrupting traffic, and leading to several top police officials making alternate arrangements and announcements. Kamareddy District SP Rajesh Chandra said that NH-44 had been damaged near Kamareddy, reducing traffic flow to just 25%, and that heavy vehicles were being diverted at Medchal, and light vehicles at Ramayampet. He urged commuters to avoid the Medchal-Ramayampet-Kamareddy-Dichpally stretch.
Cyberabad Traffic Joint Commissioner Gajrao Bhupal said that heavy vehicles travelling from Hyderabad towards NH-44 were being diverted at Medchal, and those heading to Adilabad were being redirected via Siddipet, Karimnagar, Jagtial, Korutla, Metpally and Armur. He appealed to motorists to cooperate with the police and follow the diversion routes to avoid congestion. Traffic police and highway patrol teams were on duty to assist travelers, he said.
Nirmal SP Dr G Janaki Sharmila advised motorists travelling from Adilabad to Hyderabad via Kamareddy to take a diversion at Kondapur bridge near Nirmal. From there, commuters could reach Hyderabad via Mamada, Khanapurmet, Jagtial and Karimnagar, she said.
In erstwhile Khammam district, heavy rains have swollen the Pagideru, Nimmavagu, Jannaram Eru and Ralla Vagu streams. Traffic has come to a standstill in Konijarla and Enkur mandals as the Pagideru stream is overflowing on the road between Konijarla and Mallupalli. Several tanks, including Konijarla, Peddamunagala, Peddamagopathi and Gubbagurthi, are overflowing, submerging crops in nearby villages.
Konijarla mandal recorded 120 mm of rainfall, and farmers have expressed anguish over heavy crop losses.
In another incident, heavy inflows into the Upper Manair Vagu damaged a bridge at Bandalingampally in Yellareddypet mandal, suspending traffic.
In Sircilla district, five people who had gone to graze cattle near the Upper Maneru project at Narmala village in Gambhiraopet mandal were trapped due to sudden flooding. Responding swiftly, Union Minister Bandi Sanjay contacted Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who arranged two helicopters. Army teams successfully rescued all five on Thursday.
DGP Jitender said that large-scale rescue operations were underway in the worst-affected areas, and that 1,200 people had been rescued so far. Many were saved in Kamareddy after NDRF teams reached in time, preventing a major tragedy, he said. He added that the police remained on high alert in flood-hit districts, and that conditions were gradually improving in Kamareddy, Ramayampet, Nirmal and Medak.
The South Central Railway cancelled several trains following flooding of tracks in Kamareddy, Medak and Siddipet districts. According to CPRO Sridhar, 36 trains were cancelled, 25 diverted and 14 partially cancelled. The following helpline numbers have been issued for passengers:
Kacheguda - 90633 18082
Nizamabad - 97032 96714
Kamareddy - 92810 35664
Secunderabad - 040 2778 6170