Telangana: Warangal on high alert, relief camps set up

HYDERABAD: District administrations have been put on high alert in Warangal and elsewhere, as monsoon rains lashed various on Sunday. In Warangal city, several localities have been inundated, while hilly streams in Karimnagar and Mahabubabad are filled to the brim. Relief camps have been set up several places, while minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar inspected arrangement in Khammam.
With the IMD forecasting moderate to heavy rainfall till Tuesday, people living in low-lying areas along Godavari and its rivulets — known for flash flooding — have been shifted to safety. CM K Chandrasekhar Rao reviewed the flood situation and instructed officials to take up relief operations. NDRF teams have been rushed to vulnerable spots and kept on standby for emergencies. Rainfall data for Sunday shows that except Adilabad — which recorded deficit rainfall, and Jagtial — which recorded normal rainfall, all other districts have received average rainfall in excess of 60%.
Among the worst-hit are the erstwhile composite districts of Warangal, Karimnagar and Khammam. The rain has resulted in overflowing of water bodies which resulted in several villages being inundated, disrupting several lives in the process. Several villages have been cut off as water overflowed on roads, causeways and low bridges. In Siddipet’s Raghavpur, one person was washed away while fishing.
A control room has been set up to monitor the situation and provide relief to the affected. In the temple town of Bhadrachalam, Godavari water rose to nearly 57 feet prompting local administration to issue a danger warning signal number 3. With heavy inflows from Sabari and Sileru, the situation is likely to worsen.
Data for Sunday showed Warangal (urban) recorded highest excess rainfall at 1,562% followed by Mahabubabad (1,497%), Bhuvanagiri (1,422%), Bhupalpally (1,043%), and Kothagudem (1,031%).