Mulugu records highest single-day rainfall, Moranchapalli marooned, rescue ops on across Telangana

Telangana: Telangana is experiencing very heavy rainfall causing flash floods in many districts. Mulugu district recorded the highest rainfall of 649.8 mm on Thursday, said to be the highest rainfall in a single day for this season.

As per the Telangana State Development Planning Society (TSDPS) records, Mulugu, Jayshankar, and Bhadradri Kothagudem districts recorded rainfall up to 300 mm at 8 am on Thursday.

Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Thursday extended the ongoing holiday for all educational institutions to July 28 (Friday).

The river bends and streams in various parts of the state are overflowing. The authorities are issuing multiple warnings and are asking the public not to leave their houses unless it’s necessary.

Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, in a statement, stated that the whole state government is on high alert due to the continuous rains that have been hammering the state over the last several days. She asked people not to go near the causeways or other potentially dangerous sites. The flood situation in the state is being closely watched by top authorities, district collectors, and police superintendents, as directed by the chief minister.

Control rooms setup

Special police have been appointed for flood-prone areas. The NDRF, SDRF, and Fire Service units have been mobilised to respond to any emergency with rescue and relief efforts. A separate control room (7997950008, 7997959782, 040-23450779) has been established in the secretariat to monitor the flood situation. Three senior officials have been assigned to each control room, and the situation is being closely monitored.

Similarly, control rooms have been established at all district collector offices. Two NDRF teams have been kept on standby in the districts of Kothagudem and Hyderabad, while one NDRF team has been set up in the districts of Mulugu and Warangal.

Moranchapalli village submerged

Several districts in the state, notably in North Telangana, have been inundated by rain since Wednesday night. These districts have received rainfall ranging from 30 to 40 cm.

The worst affected area is Moranchapalli village in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district which has been completely marooned due to flash floods that have submerged the routes to the village. While some of the residents have been relocated to a safer location, there are a few who were awaiting help by climbing onto the roof.

About 5-6 people were stuck on an earth mover machine in Bhupalpally in the midst of a growing flood stream.

A Twitter user sent an SOS to the officials saying that their mobiles would be running out of charge soon and an urgent rescue operation is awaited. “Pls do your part to spread this across & secure enuf help to save their lives,” the tweet said.

An NDRF crew has been dispatched to Moranchapalli village, and Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao asked the officials to send two helicopters to the village.

The collector and SP of Bhupalpalli district are in contact with the Moranchapalli residents in need of rescue and are monitoring the situation.

Tourists rescued at Mulugu

In another incident, 40 tourists were rescued on Thursday morning after they got stuck at the Mutyala Dhara waterfalls in the Mulugu district. Due to waterlogging in schools in Mulugu, children from a residential school in the district headquarters were relocated to safer locations.

Warangal and Hanumakonda underwater

Many colonies in Warangal and Hanumakonda are flooded with water. District officials are making arrangements to evacuate colony inhabitants and relocate them to safer areas.

Videos are going viral on social media on how the colonies are getting submerged in the flash floods.

Godavari river to clash into Bhadrachalam

The Godavari River at Bhadrachalam is flowing above the second warning level (48 ft). At 12 noon, the Godavari water level is at 50 ft while at the discharge level of 12,51,999 cusecs. It is near to third danger level of 53 ft. Efforts are being made to relocate individuals living in low-lying regions to relief camps.

Kadem Project Flooding

Minister Allola Indrakaran Reddy inspected the Kadem project in the Nirmal district. At present Kadem project inflow is 2.59 lakh cusecs, while outflow is 2.36 lakh cusecs. The officials have lifted 14 floodgates.

The minister said that steps are being taken to relocate individuals living in the catchment regions to safer areas. “Higher officials from the irrigation department are monitoring the flood situation. The water level will drop to a safe level in two to three hours,” said the minister.

Flash flood trapped 10 in Gopalpur Sand Quarry

A flash flood in the Manneru River in the Peddapalli district’s Manthani Mandal trapped 10 persons in the Gopalpur sand quarry. As part of their daily work, 10 personnel went into the sand quarry, after which they noticed the Manneru River waters flooding the quarry.

The people trapped remained there, unsure of what to do. The locals contacted the police about the situation and rescue crews rushed to the scene.

Sub-station operator trapped in Chilukur Mandal Center

A sub-station operator working the Vidyut sub-station in Jangam district’s Chilukur mandal centre had to remain inside after floodwater filled the area. As soon as the locals learned of the situation, they alerted the police, who arrived on the scene and brought him to safety.

As ponds, canals, and tanks are overflowing in several regions of the state, different precautions have been taken to avoid any adverse incidents.

Many areas in Hyd flooded with water

With incessant rains, many parts of Hyderabad city have been flooded. Tracks at the Kazipet railway station are under 2 ft of water.

The South Central Railway has cancelled/diverted several trains due to heavy rains. General Managar SCR, Arun Kumar Jain reviewed the situation about the routes which were affected due to rains. He directed the officials to take necessary measures for ensuring passengers safety.

Exit No 2 Edulanagulapally (Gachibowli, Nanakramguda) and Exit 7 (Shamirpet) of Hyderabad ORR have been closed due to water logging. Residents of all municipalities can contact your municipal commissioner or district control room at 040 23120410 for rain-related relief works.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert after giving a forecast of extremely heavy rainfall that is likely to continue over the Telangana, Vidarbha, and Konkan ghats of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Goa till July 28.

Inputs from Sri Lakshmi Muttevi