In Telangana, heavy rains wreaked havoc on Tuesday, resulting in the unfortunate deaths of four individuals, including a young boy, in separate rain-related incidents, severely disrupting daily life in various regions of the state.
Tragedy struck when three laborers lost their lives after being struck by lightning while working in agricultural fields in the villages of Chityal and Kataram mandals within the Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, according to police reports.
Meanwhile, a four-year-old boy met a tragic end as he was swept away in a drain in Bachupally. His lifeless body was found approximately 2 kilometers from the location where he fell into the drain, according to official sources. Security footage of the incident appeared to capture the heart-wrenching moment when the boy fell into the water.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated areas of Jayashankar Bhupalapally, Mulugu, Khammam, Nalgonda, and Mahabubabad districts until 8:30 am on Wednesday (September 6).
Due to the heavy rainfall experienced in Hyderabad on the morning of the incident, the District Collector ordered the closure of all educational institutions for the day. Additionally, staff from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) were actively engaged in efforts to alleviate waterlogging in low-lying areas across the city.
The heavy rainfall had caused waterlogging at various locations in Hyderabad, significantly impacting normal daily activities. In response, the GHMC Commissioner urged the public to remain indoors unless absolutely necessary for the next few hours, as over 3,000 civic personnel were actively working to clear waterlogged areas throughout the city.
As a precautionary measure, the Cyberabad Police recommended that IT employees opt for 'Work From Home' arrangements, where possible, in light of the inclement weather.
The IMD's forecast also included expectations of heavy rainfall in isolated areas of Adilabad, Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial, Nirmal, Nizamabad, Jagityal, Rajanna Sircilla, Karimnagar, Peddapally, Jayashankar Bhupalapally, Mulugu, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Khammam, and Kamareddy districts from 8:30 am on September 6 to 8:30 am on September 7. Additionally, the IMD warned of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds (40-50 kmph) in a few districts of Telangana.
Heavy rains had been pounding various parts of the state since the previous night. According to a weather report issued at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, very heavy rainfall was recorded at a few places in Malkajgiri and isolated locations in Kamareddy and Sangareddy. Furthermore, heavy rainfall was observed at most locations in Medak and Rajanna Sircilla, and at many places in Hyderabad, Kamareddy, and Sangareddy.
Specifically, Medchal in the Medchal-Malkajgiri district and Gandhari in the Kamareddy district experienced the highest rainfall at 14 cm, followed by Kondapur in the Sangareddy district with 12 cm, as reported by the weather data.
Meanwhile, Telangana's Chief Secretary, Santhi Kumari, held a meeting with district officials to assess the situation resulting from the heavy rains and directed them to remain vigilant, as the Meteorological department had forecasted heavy rainfall in the state over the next three days.
Officials were instructed to collaborate across all departments to prevent any loss of life and property. Precautionary measures were advised at tanks, streams, ponds, causeways, culverts, and bridges to prevent breaches.
To address the challenges posed by heavy rains and floods, regular teleconference meetings were recommended with Mandal-level revenue, PR, and other officials. Control rooms were to be established in each district collectorate for situational monitoring.
During the meeting, it was also emphasized to deploy fire and rescue service personnel, as well as police teams, for relief efforts in rain and flood-affected areas. Furthermore, the officials ordered the relocation of residents from affected areas to safer locations and the establishment of relief camps equipped with food, water, medical assistance, and other essential facilities.
