Telangana rains: Hyderabad breathes easier as predicted downpour spares city, heavy showers lash other districts

Hyderabad rain

Hyderabad residents felt a sigh of relief as the extremely heavy rains forecast for the city did not arrive on Thursday and early Friday morning. After days of unrelenting showers, the city was instead covered in a steady drizzle, with occasional bursts of heavier rain in some areas, The Hindu reported.

Amid IMD’s forecast of heavy to very heavy rains, schools, which were already operating on a half-day schedule, saw low attendance, while Hyderabad’s busy IT corridors were unusually quiet. Many corporate employees worked from home, keeping traffic on major roads light.

The skies stayed dark and cloudy throughout the day, and the waterlogged conditions from earlier rains continued to cause problems. Lakes and tanks remained full, with some overflowing onto nearby roads. Authorities kept low-lying areas and localities along the Musi River on high alert, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) maintained orange and red warnings for heavy rainfall, Telangana Today reported.

Structural damage In Begum Bazar, a very old building, already declared unsafe by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, collapsed after soaking in days of rain. However, no one was inside at the time.

According to the IMD, the city may see light to moderate rain on August 15, along with gusty winds and generally cloudy skies.

Rain batters other Telangana districts While Hyderabad escaped extreme downpours, several other districts in Telangana were severely affected. Suryapet district received 6.62 cm of rainfall, disrupting daily life as streams and canals overflowed. Mellacheruvu recorded 12.60 cm, Atmakur (S) 11.01 cm, Palakaveedu 10.60 cm, and Nadigudem 10.13 cm.

Traffic between Anantagiri and Kodad was cut off after the Kodad Peddacheruvu overflowed, flooding nearby colonies. The Paleru stream also overflowed in Urlugonda, Mote mandal, while floodwaters entered homes in Huzurnagar and Suryapet town.

In Mulugu district, a 60-year-old ASHA worker, Irpa Lakshmi, was swept away in a stream and lost her life while Vikarabad district saw continuous rains flooding irrigation projects and cutting off roads, damaging crops like cotton, sugarcane, maize, and vegetables on Thursday, Deccan Chronicle reported.

In Medak district, Chilipched mandal recorded 146 mm of rain, the highest in the district this season, while Vatpally in neighbouring Sangareddy received 135 mm. Bujarampet village saw 109 mm, with rains persisting for an entire week. Heavy inflows were reported at Singur, Pocharam dam, and Ghanpur anicut, according to the Telangana Today report.

Relief efforts underway State Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy on Thursday announced the release of Rs 1 crore each to rain-affected districts to fund relief operations. Senior officers have been appointed as Special Officers in 10 districts to oversee the work. The funds will be used for immediate measures like evacuation, distribution of essentials, and restoration of damaged infrastructure, The Hans India reported.