40 persons rescued, 150 given food at relief camp after breach in irrigation project in Telangana

Hyderabad: Disaster management personnel rescued about 40 people stranded in agricultural fields following flooding at a rivulet caused by a breach, and provided food for about 150 people at a relief camp in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district of Telangana.

The 40 stranded people were rescued with the aid of two helicopters, since Thursday evening.

A revenue official said about 150 people were provided food at a relief camp on Friday following the breach at the Peddavagu irrigation project owing to heavy rains.

Water from the irrigation project went downstream into neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. The damage to crops can be ascertained only after enumeration, he added.

Meanwhile, several rivulets are in spate at a few other places in the state.

The IMD has issued a red alert stating that heavy-to-very-heavy rain and extremely heavy rain are very likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Karimnagar, Peddapalli, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Mulugu and other districts of Telangana on Friday.

For Saturday as well, it has sounded the same alert for the districts of Adilabad, Komaram Bheem Asifabad and others.

The Collector of Bhadradri-Kothagudem district Jitesh V Patil held a teleconference meeting with officials of various departments and said the administration right from village level should be alert in view of the rains.

Meanwhile, in the wake of forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall and the breach of the Peddavagu rivulet in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, state Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy directed chief engineers of the department not to leave their headquarters without prior permission of the department secretary.

He also told them to monitor hourly inflows into major and medium Irrigation projects and others and ensure proper operation of gates as per guidelines. They were also directed to ensure that there is no loss of life and property.