Rain wreaks havoc in Hyderabad

Hyderabad : Giving a big respite from the sweltering heat, many parts of Telangana including Hyderabad city experienced heavy rain on Thursday and at the same time causing widespread damage to rabi crop both in the fields and market yards across the state. Life came to a grinding halt in Hyderabad city as several areas got flooded and heavy traffic jams were witnessed in many parts of the city.

The IMD on Thursday issued orange alert in the state and forecast more rains in the next four days. Districts like Sangareddy, Medak, Siddipet, Rajanna Siricilla, Nirmal, Kamareddy and Jagtial had experienced heavy rains.

While two persons were struck dead by lightning in Rajanna-Siricilla district, many trees were uprooted and fell across the roads at different places due to the strong winds. Some sheep and goats also died due to lightning.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy held a review meeting on the rain situation in the state secretariat and directed all the wings of administration concerned, including the GHMC, to ensure that all necessary measures were taken to tackle the situation.

In Hyderabad, the rain which started around 4 pm continued for two hours. Shaikpet area recorded the highest rainfall of 86.5 mm. The downpour had left many roads inundated making it tough for the commuters to reach their destinations. All roads saw choc-o-block and police had to struggle to clear the traffic. The situation was worse on the flyovers. Koti, Amberpet, L B Nagar, Mehdipatnam, Jubilee Hills, Ikea Centre, Gachibowli, Begumpet and Banjara Hills were some of the areas where worst traffic snarls were seen.

At Banjara Hills Road No 11, a nala caved in due to heavy rains. According to officials, the nala was over 25 years old. While no loss of life or injuries were reported, some two-wheeler vehicles were washed away by the rainwater. Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi along with GHMC engineering department officers inspected the area. Iin the Old City, historic Lad Bazar and Mir Alam Mandi were inundated and water entered the shops. Begum Bazar, Nampally, Koti, Abids, Basheerbagh, Goshamahal, Afzalgunj were other badly affected areas. The GHMC pressed DRF teams into action. Over 60 complaints of water stagnation and uprooted trees were received by the control room. The IMD has advised people to stay alert and avoid taking shelter under trees, as it may be dangerous. They further cautioned people to move away from electric poles and wires. The authorities have issued helpline numbers 040-21111111 and 9000113667 for GHMC-DRF assistance.