Rain havoc in TS, AP

Godavari, Vamsadhara in spate; work stops at Singareni

• Adilabad, Warangal, Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Khammam districts in TS battered by heavy rains
• Water level touches 45ft at Bhadrachalam, irrigation officials sound first warning
• KCR monitors situation, alerts officials for relief work
• Vamsadhara waters submerge several villages in north coastal Andhra
• Naidu asks ministers, officials to evacuate villagers, if needed

Hyderabad: Heavy rains lashed several districts in Telangana state and Andhra Pradesh for the second consecutive day on Sunday. As a result several rivers including the Godavari and the Vamsadhara are in spate. The weather office predicts similar wet conditions for the next 24 hours.

The low pressure area in the Bay of Bengal near Odisha coupled with active movement of south-west monsoon led to heavy downpour in several parts of these two states disrupting normal life. Northern Telangana particularly the districts of Adilabad, Warangal, Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Khammam were battered by heavy rains.

As the water level touched 45 feet at Bhadrachalam, the Irrigation officials sounded first warning and put the district administration on alert. Several tributaries of the river Godavari are in flood.

The low-level causeway near Cheekupalli in Khammam district was submerged cutting off the road link to nearly 25 villages. Even coal production in open cast mines of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) came to a grinding halt.

Heavy rains in Adilabad district brought copious inflows into tanks and rivulets. The Kadem project is filled to the brim and the authorities opened a few gates to release water downstream. Transport to about 20 villages was affected as the Chikli stream in Vankidi mandal was in spate and water was overflowing on to the roads.

Incessant rains in the upper reaches of the river Godavari led to Jeedi and Boggula streams to overflow near Ramangaram and Sarvapur-Jagannagudam areas respectively keeping the authorities in Warangal district on their toes. Normal life was thrown out of gear at various places in Karimnagar district with low lying areas inundated and mining works coming to a grinding halt at Singareni open cast mine in Ramagundam.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao monitored the situation and directed the authorities to take up relief and rehabilitation measures.

In Andhra Pradesh, the water levels at Dowleswaram have been rising on hourly basis. As many as 175 crest gates were lifted up to 1.2 metres to release six lakh cusecs into the sea. In Srikakulam , the Vamsadhara is in spate following heavy rain in the upstream Odisha. Following overflowing of rivulets transport to several villages in Kothur, Heera and L N Pet mandals was affected. Crops in thousands of acres were submerged. The workers at Kasinagar on Andhra-Odisha border were stranded as transport facilities got snapped. Sundappayya of Haddubungi village in Kasinagar block of Odisha who ventured to swim in the swirling waters lost his life.

In Vizianagaram district, the Irrigation officials lifted eight crest gates of Thotapalli reservoir after it received inflow of 31,726 cusecs.

With flood alert sounded in coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed ministers and officials to take up immediate rescue and relief measures wherever necessary. He told the ministers and officials to ensure that people were evacuated, if required, from areas that are likely to face nature's fury. Ministers from those regions have been asked to stay in their region to coordinate with district the administration.