Alert in Telangana in view of heavy rains forecast for two days

Hyderabad, Sep 25 (IANS) An alert has been sounded in Telangana in view of the heavy rains forecast for the next two days, even as incessant rains continue to lash parts of the north Telangana region since Wednesday night.

Godavari River was in spate in Basar town of Nirmal district on Thursday as it continued to receive huge inflows from upstream.

The water was overflowing the road connecting the Saraswati temple to the Godavari Pushkar Ghat. Authorities have erected barricades to prevent pilgrims from using the road.

The Godavari River was also in spate at Kandakurthy Triveni Sangam in Nizamabad district, as flood inflow has increased into both the Godavari and Manjeera rivers.

The bridge connecting Telangana and Maharashtra was submerged, bringing the vehicular traffic to a halt.

Huge inflows continued into the Sriram Sagar project in Nizamabad district. The project received 2.85 lakh cusecs while authorities were discharging 3.56 lakh cusecs downstream.

The water level in Sriram Sagar stood at 1,082 feet against its full level of 1,091 feet.

Coal production in the mines of state-owned Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) was hit due to heavy rains in the Ramagundam region and Peddapalli district since Wednesday night.

The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in several districts over the next two days. Orange alert has been issued for Adilabad, Komuram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial, Nirmal, Peddapalli, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Mulugu, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Mahabubabad, Warangal, and Hanumakonda districts.

Heavy rainfall is very likely to occur at isolated places in Nizamabad, Jagtial, Rajanna Sircilla, Karimnagar, Khammam, Nalgonda, Suryapet, Jangaon, Siddipet, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Sangareddy, Medak, Kamareddy, and Mahabubnagar districts.

Thunderstorm accompanied by lightning and gusty winds (40-50 kmph) is very likely to occur at isolated places in all districts of Telangana, the IMD said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has instructed all departments to remain vigilant. He directed that utmost caution be maintained in view of the forecast by the Meteorological Department.

District Collectors across the state have been asked to stay on high alert and review the situation. The CM instructed that, if necessary, people from low-lying areas should be evacuated in advance and shifted to rehabilitation centres. All causeways should be inspected, and areas prone to waterlogging on roads should be identified in advance and traffic movement restricted accordingly.

The Electricity Department has been asked to take special care to ensure an uninterrupted power supply. The CM directed that hanging wires be removed immediately to avoid any threat to human lives

Though schools and colleges are closed for the Dussehra holidays, the CM advised educational institutions to stay alert regarding heavy rainfall warnings. People have been urged not to venture out during the rains unless absolutely necessary.

--IANS

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