High alerts in districts as IMD forecasts more rains

Hyderabad: With India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting more rains in the next two days, the State government has directed all district Collectors to be high alert and take quick safety measures to ensure that there is no loss of human life.

Following the instructions given by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to the State administration over the fresh weather forecast, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar held a teleconference with senior officials and district collectors here on Saturday.

He apprised them about the heavy to very heavy rainfall threat across the State and need to be vigilant. Somesh Kumar said there is a heavy to very heavy rainfall alert over the next couple of days as such he directed the Collectors to ensure that all the officials in the district are available in the headquarters and no leave should be allowed.

Low lying areas should be identified and relief camps should be kept ready. He directed the Collectors to work in close coordination with all the line departments and take all preventive measures and see that no untoward incident takes place. During the meeting, the Collectors were directed to set up control room in the Collectorate. The IMD projects heavy rainfall and the impact will be seen from Sunday afternoon. There may be breaches to irrigation tanks. Roads, causeways may also likely be submerged. As the tanks, ponds and reservoirs are in spate, officials should be on high alert and see that sand bags are kept ready if breaches to vulnerable tanks takes place, the Chief Secretary said.

Rahul Bojja, secretary Disaster Management, and other officials were present in the teleconference. Meanwhile, Irrigation Department Special Chief Secretary Rajat Kumar on Saturday also asked officials to be on high alert in the wake of heavy rains.

Since inflows into Singur and Nizam Sagar were high, the officials must keep watch on the increasing water levels in the projects.