Adilabad: Thunderstorms and downpours from Saturday morning caused streams and rivulets to overflow, severing external connections to hundreds of villages.

The wrath of rains has stunned residents who had long awaited rainfall. Since Friday night, Adilabad district has been battered by heavy rains due to a low-pressure trough.

In Adilabad town, four hours of relentless rain flooded colonies like Koja Colony, Rani Satiji Colony, GS Estate, and Green Park Colony, leaving residents in distress. Backwater overflow from drains turned neighbourhoods foul and unhygienic. District Collector Rajarshi Shah and SP Akhil Mahajan deployed JCBs to clear clogged drainage canals, averting a major flood crisis.

At Jainath, the overflowing Tarnam stream disrupted travel to Maharashtra. In Boath constituency, heavy rains submerged areas like Ichoda mandal center and Sai Nagar Colony.

In Sai Nagar, a bridge was washed away, and water entered homes. Social worker Umesh responded to residents’ pleas and arranged JCB support to divert rainwater away from homes.

Meanwhile, Boath MLA Anil visited the flooded girls’ residential school in Ichoda, offering reassurance to students. He urged locals to immediately report any hardships in the constituency.

Due to continuous rains, six members of the Gayakwad Ganesh family (three women, two men, and one child) were trapped in a house near the national highway in Seetagondi village, Gudihatnur mandal. Collector Shah and SP Mahajan rushed to the scene and summoned the District Disaster Response Force (DDRF), who rescued the victims and arranged their secure relocation to Adilabad.

Overflowing streams filled the Kadem reservoir to capacity. Out of 18 gates, 17 were opened simultaneously, releasing 161,051 cusecs of water into the Godavari River. Special rehabilitation centres are being set up in district headquarters for relief efforts.