Cyclone Gulab stirs up Telangana

Hyderabad: Though Cyclone Gulab which has now turned into a deep depression after landfall has resulted in heavy rains across Telangana with heavy to very heavy rains in north Telangana. This situation is likely to continue on Tuesday and hence the weather office has asked people to be on high alert and remain confined to their houses.

Meanwhile, the government has announced that all engineering and degree exams scheduled to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday in the State have been cancelled. Irrigation department has asked people to stop visiting the project sites and canals until normalcy is restored.

The heavy rains had kept the district administration across the State on tenterhooks. Many low-lying areas were facing the threat of submergence and crops in lakhs of acres have been inundated.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who is in New Delhi, instructed the top officials to rescue the people stranded in the floodwaters.

Several colonies were in floodwaters and people faced severe problems in many municipalities like Khammam, Kothagudem, Kodad, Miryalaguda, Sattupalli and Manuguru. Roads were flooded with rainwater and vehicles were washed away in some areas.

Amid heavy rainfall on Sunday, a false ceiling of an ICU ward of Mahabubabad District Hospital in Telangana collapsed and fell on a patient. As per the details released by the hospital, no casualties have been reported.

A goods train derailed at Dornakal on the Vijayawada-Bhadrachalam route. Two wagons went off the tracks and Railway officials have taken up restoration works even as rains continue to pound the area.

In Khammam, power supply was disrupted and a few low-lying areas were inundated due to heavy rains. At Kothagudem, coal production was affected in the wake of rains. At GK open cast too, coal production was suspended due to heavy rains.

The village of Kurti in Pitlam mandal of Kamareddy district was hit by a water blockade. A boy named Gangaram fell seriously ill on Monday. The Nizamsagar water on the other hand was swollen making it impossible to move the boy from the village for treatment.

Paddy crops were damaged due to heavy flows in old Karimnagar, Medak and Warangal districts. Maize crops got washed away in Siddipet and Bhupalpally districts. Cotton and chilli crops withered in the rainwater in old Khammam districts.

The highest rainfall of 15 cm was reported in Wyra and Bachodu village in Khammam district. Heavy rains were reported in 18 districts. Following this, Red Alert was declared in 13 districts, including Bhadradri Kothagudem, Khammam, Adilabad, Bhuvanagiri, Asifabad, Mancherial, Nirmal, Warangal, Peddapally Karimnagar, Rajanna Siricilla, Jayashankar Bhupalpalle, Mulugu, Jagtial, Mahbubabad and Jangaon which are likely to receive flash floods in the next 24 hours. Orange Alert was declared in 14 other districts, including Hyderabad.