Telangana, Andhra Pradesh rains highlights: New low pressure forms off north Andhra coast to bring more rains

Telangana Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has directed the department officials to take steps to immediately invite tenders for repair and restoration of tanks and canals which suffered damages due to the recent heavy rains.

In addition to damaged tanks and canals, steps should be taken to complete the tender process for restoration of partially damaged water bodies. Accordingly, the process for securing administrative approvals should be taken today (September 5, 2024) evening and tenders should be posted online portal by Friday morning (September 6, 2024).

As some regions of Andhra Pradesh recover from the recent spell of incessant rains and floods, the Met Department on Thursday said a new low pressure area has formed over the Bay of Bengal, which is likely to bring heavy rainfall in parts of the state till September 9.

The weather system formed over west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts.

The Met Department forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam on Thursday, and heavy rain in parts of south coastal Andhra Pradesh.

It also forecast thunderstorms accompanied by lightning in parts of north and south coastal Andhra, Yanam and Rayalaseema with wind speeds reaching up to 40 km per hour.

-PTI

As some regions of Andhra Pradesh recover from the recent spell of incessant rains and floods, the Met Department today said a new low pressure area has formed over the Bay of Bengal, which is likely to bring heavy rainfall in parts of the state till September 9.

The weather system formed over west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts.

The Met Department forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam today, and heavy rain in parts of south coastal Andhra Pradesh.

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar will be undertaking an aerial survey of the flood damage in Khammam district on Friday (September 6, 2024).

The Ministers are scheduled to tour from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. following which Mr. Kumar will proceed towards Kodad to assess the flood damage in the area at around 4 p.m. 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert in parts of Telangana for Friday (September 6, 2024).

According to an IMD bulletin issued on Thursday (September 5, 2024), heavy rain is very likely to occur at isolated places in Adilabad, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Mulugu, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Warangal and Hanamkonda districts.

All-India Congress Committee’s (AICC) national joint coordinator of Kisan Congress S. Krishna Chaitanya Reddy has expressed serious concern over the plight of the flood-hit victims in Andhra Pradesh.

In a statement on September 5 (Thursday), Mr. Chaitanya Reddy said large sections of people were affected by the floods that had wreaked havoc, throwing normal life out of gear.

Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy on Wednesday (September 4, 2024) handed over two cheques of ₹5 lakh each to the bereaved family members of young agricultural scientist Nunavath Ashwini and her father Mothilal, who died in a flood-related incident on Sunday (September 1, 2024).

The Minister gave away the cheques to Ashwini’s mother and brother at their native village Gangaram Thanda in Karepalli mandal towards ex-gratia payment. He also handed over the Indiramma house sanction letter to them.

All-India Congress Committee’s (AICC) national joint coordinator of Kisan Congress, S. Krishna Chaitanya Reddy, has expressed serious concern over the plight of the flood-hit victims in Andhra Pradesh.

In a statement on Thursday (September 5, 2024), Mr. Chaitanya Reddy said large sections of people were affected by the floods that had wreaked havoc, throwing normal life out of gear. 

“The Budameru rivulet in Vijayawada was in spate, rendering people in its catchment area homeless,” he said, adding it was time people from all sections came together and launched concerted efforts to put the State back on the rails. 

“This is not the time for politicking. We need to sink differences and collectively help the flood-hit population,” he said. 

Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan lauded the dedication with which Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has been leading the flood relief measures in Vijayawada city for nearly a week.

In a message on the social media platform ‘X’ on Thursday (September 5, 2024), Mr. Kalyan said the State government inherited a severe financial crisis from the previous dispensation led by the YSR Congress Party, which also undermined the democratic institutions and was allegedly complicit in the plundering of natural resources.

A Central team deputed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) to make a preliminary assessment of the ​damage caused by floods​ in NTR, Guntur and Prakasam districts reached Vijayawada Thursday (September 5, 2024) morning. They will examine the dam safety aspects apart from quantifying the loss.

The team led by Sanjeev Kumar Jindal, Additional Secretary of MoHA, visited the State Emergency Operations Centre of the State Disaster Management Authority at Kunchanapalli in Guntur district to get a basic understanding of the topography of the whole area before venturing into the flood-ravaged areas in Vijayawada city and other places. 

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Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TGSPDCL) posted a precautionary notice on X (formerly Twitter), urging the citizens to protect themselves from electrical hazards.

The Telangana Disaster Response and Fire Services Department has conducted 1,759 rescue operations over the last​ five days across the State, with the majority focusing on evacuating residents from flooded​ houses and vehicles.

From August 31 to September 4, teams have successfully rescued 1,690 people from flooded houses and 48 people from submerged vehicles. Additionally, 13 operations were carried out to clear uprooted trees, while four cases involved retrieval of dead bodies. The rescue teams were also involved in dewatering three flooded areas and carrying out a rescue operation after a wall collapsed.

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Telangana Fire Services dept rescued 1,690 people from flooded houses and 48 people from submerged vehicles

Telangana Disaster Response & Fire Services Department conducts 1,759 rescue operations in flooded areas over 5 days.

Against the backdrop of the Telangana government seeking an immediate assistance of Rs 2,000 crore from the Centre for flood relief measures, the union government has pointed out that the state government did not submit requisite information for the release of funds.

It said over ₹1,345 crore was available in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) account as of April 1 this year for flood relief measures during 2024-25.

In a letter to the state Chief Secretary, an official of the Union Home Ministry said the first installment of the Central share of SDRF amounting to ₹208.40 crore for 2024–25 is due for release.

- PTI

Two trackmen of the South Central Railway — G. Mohan and Jagadeesh, patrolling the vulnerable sections of the railway track amid pouring rain, averted a major mishap when they sent alerts to the higher authorities about the flood water washing away the tracks along with the ballast at different places between Kesamudram-and Intekanne and Tallapusapalle and Mahabubabad sections on Saturday midnight and early hours of Sunday.

Railway sources informed on Wednesday (September 4, 2024) that both the trackmen on either side of the section had alerted their respective section engineers concerned about the tracks getting inundated first and also about getting washed away between midnight and early hours of Sunday.

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Two alert SCR patrolling trackmen avert major disaster

South Central Railway trackmen avert major mishap by alerting authorities about washed away tracks during heavy rain.

The Ramoji Group, through the Eenadu Relief Fund, has announced a contribution of ₹ 5 crore to support the victims of recent heavy rains and floods in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana..

“In these harrowing times, as the cries for help echo across the flood-ravaged landscapes, it is our duty as a community to come together and extend our support to those in need,” the Ramoji Group said in a press release in Hyderabad.

“The Eenadu Relief Fund is dedicated to immediate rescue operations and the long-term rehabilitation of those affected,” it said.

The YSR Congress Party president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has demanded that the State government pay ₹25 lakh ex gratia to the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 to each house damaged by the recent floods in Vijayawada. 

On Wednesday, Mr. Jagan visited the flood-affected areas in the Old RR Peta, walking through knee-deep water, interacting with the residents, and enquiring about their plight. 

An inter-ministerial team from the Central government will visit flood-ravaged districts in Andhra Pradesh and interact with the affected people.

The team will visit flood-hit Krishna, NTR and Guntur districts.

“The Central team will include National Disaster Management Authority adviser KP Singh, Central Water Commission Director Siddarth Mitra,” said a release.

- PTI

BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao alleged that the State government had under-reported the deaths in the recent floods claiming that 31 people died while only 16 deaths were confirmed by the government. 

In a post on ‘X’, he asked Chief Minister to stop peddling ‘lies’ and provide the right information to the people. While there were 31 deaths due to drowning, wall collapse or getting washed away in the waters the government has confirmed only 16 deaths. 

According to figures released by Mr. KTR six deaths were reported in Khammam, five in Bhadradri Kothagudem and two each in Suryapet, Mahabubabad, Mulugu, Narayanpet, Siddipet, and Ranga Reddy districts. Other districts like Warangal, Hanamkonda, Nirmal, Nagarkurnool, Wanaparthy, Peddapally, Karimnagar, and Kamareddy accounted for one death each. 

Two trackmen of the South Central Railway — G. Mohan and Jagadeesh, patrolling the vulnerable sections of the railway track amid pouring rain averted a major mishap when they sent alerts to the higher authorities about the flood water washing away the tracks along with the ballast at different places between Kesamudram-and Intekanne and Tallapusapalle and Mahabubabad sections on Saturday midnight and early hours of Sunday.

Railway sources informed on Wednesday (September 4, 2024) that both the trackmen on either side of the section had alerted their respective section engineers concerned about the tracks getting inundated first and also about getting washed away between midnight and early hours of Sunday. 

Rainfall is set to return to Telangana, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing an orange alert for two districts and a yellow alert for ten districts.

According to IMD’s bulletin, heavy to very heavy rainfall (orange alert) is expected in isolated areas of Jayashankar Bhupalpally and Mulugu districts. Meanwhile, heavy rain (yellow alert) is likely to occur at isolated locations in Adilabad, Kumuram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial, Nirmal, Nizamabad, Jagtial, Rajanna Sircilla, Karimnagar, Peddapalli, and Bhadradri Kothagudem districts.

Additionally, thunderstorms with lightning and strong winds are expected in isolated parts across all districts of Telangana, the bulletin states.