At least 25 people have been killed in rain-related incidents across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, following torrential downpour in the last 48 hours. Reports said over 20,500 homes have been affected in Hyderabad city alone as downpour triggered wall and house collapse.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and AndhraPradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and assured them of all possible support and assistance from the Centre in the rescue-and-relief work.
"Spoke to @TelanganaCMO KCR Garu and AP CM @ysjagan Garu regarding the situation in Telangana and AP respectively due to heavy rainfall. Assured all possible support and assistance from the Centre in rescue & relief work. My thoughts are with those affected due to the heavy rains," Modi tweeted.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is closely monitoring the situation in Telangana and Andhra Prades and the central government will provide all possible help to the two states.
"MHA is closely monitoring the situation in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in the wake of heavy rainfalls. Modi government is committed to provide all possible assistance to the people of both the states in this hour of need. My thoughts and prayers are with those affected," Shah tweeted.
President Ram Nath Kovind also spoke to Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, and expressed concern over the loss of lives and destruction caused by the incessant rain.
Telangana government has declared a holiday on Wednesday and Thursday for all private institutions, offices, non- essential services within Outer Ring Road in Hyderabad in view of rains. People were advised to stay indoors for the next two days as more rains are expected in the state.
According to a PTI report, ten people, including a toddler died in two wall collapse incidents in Chandrayangutta police station limits.
Several localities in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits received very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall leading to waterlogging on several roads and low lying areas. Vanasthalipuram, Dammaiguda, Attapur Main Road, and Musheerabad are some of the severely affected areas in Hyderabad.
A shocking video of three cars involved in a pile-up on a waterlogged road in the New Bowenpally area surfaced on social media on Wednesday. Rivulets and other water bodies were in spate in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district in the state following heavy rains and the administration has advised people not to travel on or cross such rivulets and inundated roads.
The State Disaster Response Force and Fire Services Department are carrying out rescue operations, wherever required in Hyderabad.
In Andhra Pradesh, for the second time in less than 20 days, river Krishna remained swollen on Wednesday as it received a heavy flood due to rainfall over the last couple of days. The second warning signal has been raised at Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada as over 6.46 lakh cusecs of discharge was witnessed, posing a threat to the habitations along its left and right banks.
A breach occurred to the Sarada river bund near Yalamanchili in Visakhapatnam district, inundating over 2,000 acres of agricultural fields in the vicinity. Tandava, Raivada, Meghadrigadda projects in the district received heavy inflows and the flood was being discharged into the Bay of Bengal. Vamsadhara river in Srikakulam district received heavy flood under the impact of heavy rain in the catchment area in neighbouring Odisha.
The first flood warning has been issued as more than 50,000 cusecs of floodwater was discharged at Gotta Barrage, the State Disaster Management Authority said.
With inputs from PTI
