Rains trigger flash floods in Hyderabad; 1 killed, many areas inundated, schools shut

Hyderabad: A daily wage laborer was killed when he was swept away by a flash flood near Baptist Church in Ramnagar here.

Identified as Vijay, 43, he was swept away by the gushing waters on Tuesday morning near Baptist Church in Musheerabad constituency of Hyderabad. Police and GHMC officials arrived at the scene and fished out the body. The decased was shifted to mortuary for postmortem examination. The investigation is going on. More details awaited.

Around 3 am, the heavy rain started, and by 7 am, places like Saroornagar had 132.3 mm of rain, Khairatabad had 126.8 mm, Uppal had 125 mm, Rajendranagar had 122.8 mm, and LB Nagar had 122 mm. Normal life was disrupted after rains triggered flash floods in Hyderabad.

Several areas including Saroornagar, LB Nagar, Dilsukhnagar, Charminar, Rajendranagar, Abids, Nampally, Mehdipatnam, Nagole, Tellapur, Boduppal, Madhura Nagar, Gachibowli, Chaitanyapuri, Ameerpet, Musheerabad, Shivarampally, and Uppal were several affected by the downpour and flash floods.

The rainfall led to waterlogging and traffic snarls in various parts of Hyderabad. Users took to social media to share their experiences and give advisories to people

Even after the rain started to get lighter at 6 in the morning, the city was still plagued by ongoing problems due to the steady downpour.

All government schools within Greater Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy have been shut on Tuesday due to flash floods. Many places recorded 10 cm of rainfall. The Hyderabad district administration hasn't, however, announced a holiday for the city's schools. "We have not announced a holiday for schools in Hyderabad," DEO Hyderabad Rohini said.

The GHMC has announced a yellow alert for the city and also warned the people of the low-lying areas to be vigilant.

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said that there will be rains accompanied by thunder, lightning, and gusty winds in many places in and around Hyderabad. Following the heavy rainfall in the entire city, the GHMC has requested the citizens to dial 040-21111111 or 9000113667 for GHMC-DRF assistance.

At several areas of the city, power supply was disrupted following the heavy rains. More than 200 feeders tripped in early hours of Tuesday. Except for seven all have been restored so far. Others will also be done shortly, the TGSPDCL officials said.

IMD issues yellow alert for several districts in Telangana

Meanwhile, a yellow alert has been issued for several districts in Telangana for the next four days. Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds are expected at isolated locations across the State, including Adilabad, Kumuram Bheem Asifabad, Suryapet, Nalgonda, and others. Authorities in these areas have cautioned locals to exercise caution and stay alert.

HMWSSB cancel leaves for staff

After the heavy rains lashed the city, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) managing director Ashok Reddy convened a meeting with all the higher officials to take stock of the situation at the ground level. He cancelled leaves for all the staff, following an alert from the IMD of heavy rains in the next two days.

Ashok Reddy asked all the officials to conduct a ground level inspection in the city and accord a special focus on the water logging points. Apart from that, he asked the officials to conduct water quality tests in flooded areas and ensure of supply of drinking water through tankers.

Referring to the over flowing manholes in the city, Ashok Reddy asked the officials to identify the over flowing manholes and initiate preventive measures and avoid public to open them. Instructions were given to the HMWSSB officials to coordinate with police and GHMC officials to identify water logging points in the city, he said and added that in case of any problems, public can dial customer care number 155313.

Earlier on Monday, two persons died after lightning struck Jogulamba Gadwal district. A 40-year-old man and a 15-year-old girl died at different places in Gattu and Maldakal of Gadwal district after being struck by lightning at agricultural fields when it was raining, a senior police official said.

A public transport bus was stuck in flood water under a Road Under Bridge (RUB) in Nizamabad and the passengers were brought out of it by authorities and residents.

The Met Centre of IMD here said thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) are very likely to occur at isolated places in Adilabad, Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Hyderabad, and other districts on August 20.