Heavy Rains and Floods Cause Vast Destruction in Hyderabad and Other Areas

Heavy rains and floods have plagued Hyderabad, with 70 dead in Telangana and grim situations in Karnataka and Telangana.

Heavy overnight rains

Last Saturday, heavy overnight rains battered many areas in the two states and caused massive destruction. 

The Yellow alert advisory was already issued, mostly since heavy rains were thought to affect isolated places in many districts in Telangana. The same is true for the likelihood of floods in remote Telangana areas.

Meanwhile, the orange alert, which means that people must prepare, was issued in Hyderabad, with heavy rains being predicted in Chennai in Tamil Nadu.

Because of the non-stop pouring of rains, the Army has been called to perform service in the four districts affected in the state of Karnataka.

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Destruction and death

So far, a total of 70 died in affected areas in Telangana. In addition, damage amounting to thousands of crores were estimated. Rains that were over 150 millimeters poured throughout the day, causing water-logging and traffic jams.

Strong currents quickly swept floodwaters submerged entire streets and vehicles. These were seen in many areas of the city as well as neighboring places. As shown in the video footage, locals were trying to save vehicles like a car and auto-rickshaw from being swept along with the current.

Breach of Balapur Lake

Local officials have also confirmed the breach of Balapur Lake, which caused many areas in the city to experience flash floods.

It is the third incident of a lake breach in the Hyderabad area.

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More consequences from the calamity

Another video footage has been released showing a stuck car being pulled out by the police of Abdullapurmet on Hyderabad's outskirts.

According to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (or GHMC) Enforcement, Vigilance & Disaster Management Director Vishwajit Kampati, personnel from the GHMC DRF or Disaster Response Force continuously worked on clearing inundations and stagnations of water.

Telangana has been the most affected even though there was also flooding in its neighbors Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. KT Rama Rao, minister of Telangana, said last Saturday that the affected families would be provided with kits of rations to be delivered to their homes. 

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3,000 Hyderabad cellars submerged

In Hyderabad, 3,000 cellars have also been inundated with water from the floods and rains. The GHMC identified the submerged cellars and has so far cleared a total of 2,877 with private and public entities. There were still 123 cellars that need clearing.

Meanwhile, more than 75 city areas have lost electric power, with their transformers being submerged or destroyed by the waters. K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chief Minister, reportedly asked for an evaluation of the cellars affected and instructed staff to start deploying people and equipment to return and restore the affected areas to normalcy in the quickest possible time.

Dewatering of 75 areas is currently being conducted, including Karwan, LB Nagar, Secunderabad, Malkajgiri, and other parts. A GHMC senior official said that putting things back to normal will be a Herculean effort, especially since another cyclone is fast approaching. The damages caused by floods to Hyderabad and other places are still not restored.

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