The death toll in rain related deaths in the past two days in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana rose to 10 on Friday.
Live updates
3.15 pm: A scene in Warangal. Photo: M. Murali
1.53 pm: Heavy rains battered many parts of Khammam district of Telangana for the third consecutive day on Friday, disrupting vehicular traffic, causing waterlogging and hampering coal production. A part of the portico of the century-old British era building housing the Mandal Revenue Office and Sub-Treasury Office in Yellendu collapsed in the early hours of the day owing to overnight downpour. >Read more
1.05 pm: Even as neighbouring East Godavari and several other districts reeled under the effect of very heavy rainfall, Visakhapatnam district is in a safe position as it received only a little bit excess of the normal rainfall, according to district officials.
(A view of the overflowing Kothapally tank in Warangal on Friday. Photo: Ajaypal Singh)
12.08 pm: Situation still grim in flood-hit areas of Andhra Pradesh: The State continued to reel under the impact of heavy rain for the third consecutive day on Friday as a low pressure in the Bengal of Bengal intensified by morning. Six persons have so far died in Guntur district alone and many are missing across the State. Hundreds of villages were marooned and road traffic was badly hit at many places. >Read more
A two-year-old boy was drowned in a drain by his house at Vaddavalli area in Sattenapalle on Thursday morning. His body was traced hours later. The boy has been identified as Y.V Vignesh, son of Yedukondalu, a private employee.
A 20-year-old man was also washed away in flood waters at Gorantla village in Sattenapalle mandal. His body was traced on Friday morning. The man has been identified as Ramesh. Five were reported dead on Thursday when Guntur district was lashed by heavy rain.
12.04 pm: Moula Ali, located in north-eastern Hyderabad received around 22 cm in the last 24 hours. India Meteorological Department located at Begumpet recorded five centimetres of rain since Thursday 8.30 p.m. >Read more
A flooded under bridge in Warangal on Friday. Photo: M. Murali
11.50 am: Four persons died in Medak district of Telangana as several parts of the State came under sheets of water due to heavy rains since Wednesday. Kalavathi (35) and Tulasi (eight) died after a house collapsed in Medak town. Shammama (60) died when a wall collapsed at Mubarakpur in Sadashivapet mandal. It was reported that one Swamy (45) was washed away in rain water while trying to save his son in Kongur village of Kulcharam mandal. The son was saved. Due to overflowing tanks and lakes, connectivity was cut among several villages at Manoor, Kangti, Kalher and Narayanakhed. The average rainfall in the district was registered as 10.3 c.m., with Chinnashankarampet registering 21.1 cm, Kangti 16.5, Kalher 15, Gawjel 14.5, Shivampet 14.3, Toopran 14, Toguta 13 and Sangareddy 10 cm. In view of heavy rains, the district administration declared holiday for educational institutions. >Read more
11.36 am: Telangana’s Information Technology Secretary Jayesh Ranjan said they have sent an advisory to IT companies’ association to either declare a holiday or allow their employees to work from home following the forecast of heavy rains on Friday and Saturday. “We have asked the association to send an advisory to all IT companies located in the city. Accordingly, they issued advisory to all the IT firms. This is in the interest of safety of the employees. The response from companies is good,” Mr. Ranjan said.
11.33 am: Cotton fields in and around Cherukuru near Parchur in Prakasam district were flooded as Nallamada Vagu breached.
The breach in the Nallamada drain at Garlapadu has been keeping people of Jillelamudi tense since Thursday night. Flood waters are flowing up to knee height on the road leading to the village but revenue officials said the situation was under control.
Krishna in spate at prakasam barrage in Vijayawada on Tuesday. Photo. CH Vijaya Bhaskar
The Tehsildar of Bapatla, Vallaiah, said the water level has been steadily increasing but added that there has not been evacuation of people so far.
Normality was returning to most mandals of Palnadu. Flood waters have started receding at Narsaraopet, Sattenapalle and Chilakaluripet. Restoration work on the damaged portion of the road began on Thursday night at Jonnalagadda on the Guntur-Kurnool State Highway.
The RDO of Narsaraopet, G. Ravinder, said they had cleared all the blocks , including the breaking of a road divider, to ensure the flow of flood waters.
Our Ongole Correspondent reports:
Breach in Nallamada Vagu
Bountiful rains brought cheers to farmers in Prakasam district even as Nallamada Vagu breached, submerging fields in a sheet of water in and around Cherukuru in Parchur mandal on Friday.
Efforts were made to prevent the water from entering habitations, said Parchur Mandal Revenue Officer K. Rajalakshmi as water surrounded three villages in the mandal.
Steps were taken on a war-footing to plug breaches in a swollen Sakivagu near Adusumalle, she said, adding that vehicular traffic that remained disrupted from Parchur to Guntur district on Thursday, was restored.
Farmers who have taken up cultivation of cotton on about 1000 acres in the area, began frantic efforts to bail out water from the fields.
The storage in the near-dry Cumbum tank, the second largest tank in Asia, went up to 0.85 tmc following a good inflow in the wake of the recent rains in the Nallamalla hills. The discharge of 3000 cusecs from Gundalabrameswaram witnessed on Thursday came down to 1500 cusecs, facilitating free flow of vehicular traffic on the Achampeta bridge.
The storage in the Obul Reddy Gundalakamma reservoir, the alternative drinking water source to Ongole city, went up to 2.17 tmcft with an inflow of 500 cusecs. ''The inflow is likely to increase in the next couple of days in view of rain in the catchment areas'', said its Executive Engineer Reddiah.
The sharp showers enabled the drought-prone district to wipe out the rainfall deficit to 3.4 per cent since the onset of southwest monsoon and save standing crops on 1.76 lakh hectares. Farmers will be able complete sowings in another 59,000 hectares during Khariff following the wetspell, explained Agriculture Joint Director J.Muralikrishna.
A heavy inflow of 45,600 cusecs into the Srisailam reservoir raised hopes among farmers who have grown crops on 4.43 lakh acres in the Nagarjunasagar command area in Prakasam district. Farmers who had missed out paddy cultivation last year hoped to take up cultivation this year as irrigation officials estimated that Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar reservoirs would get about 75 tmcft following heavy rain in the catchment areas in Maharashtra.
In Hyderabad
Following the heavy downpour, which crippled life, the Telangana government has declared a holiday for educational institutions in Hyderabad on Friday and Saturday.
The government has sought the help of the Army for rescue operation in some areas of the city, for which the Defence wing has agreed, a senior official of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation said.
“We sought their help and they also came forward. They have been given maps and other information of areas like Gachibowli, Nizampet, Alwal and Hakimpet. They are willing to swing into action whenever we call them, the official told PTI.
