A day after heavy rainfall wreaked havoc in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, more rainfall is expected in the states on Monday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Naidu Music inspected the flood-affected areas in the state. He told reporters that rescue operations are underway and control centres are being set to monitor the situation. The National Disaster Response Force, meanwhile, has been conducting search and rescue operations in the two states.
Educational institutes will remain shut in rain-affected districts including Hyderabad and Vijayawada. The waterlogging caused by the heavy downpour has disrupted rail and road traffic.
As many as nine people had died in rain-related incidents in Telangana on Sunday.
Workers restore a portion gravel under the railway track after it was washed away due to floodwaters at Kesamudram, in Mahabubabad district, Sunday, Sep. 1, 2024. (PTI Photo)
Here are the top developments from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh:
Naidu inspects flood-affected areas
“I am regularly monitoring the floods, and officials are actively working on the ground. Since last night, I have visited many flood-affected areas,” CM Naidu told news agency ANI.
“The public should not panic. We are setting up command and control centers in the flood-affected regions,” he added. He also stated that as many as 110 boats have been deployed to supply food and provide medical assistance.
Weather forecast
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Very heavy rainfall is expected over coastal Andhra Pradesh from September 2 to 5. Heavy rainfall is also expected to continue over Telangana on Monday, the IMD said. Heavy rain caused by a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal has been pounding the two states since Saturday night.
Trains cancelled
After rains inundated a railway track between Kesamudram and Mahabubabad in Telangana on Sunday, 21 trains were cancelled and 10 others were diverted on Monday due to waterlogging over tracks at several locations.
Trains from Chennai Central to Chhapra, Chhapra to Chennai Central and New Delhi to Chennai have been stalled, said a bulletin by South Central Railway (SCR) on Sunday.
Meanwhile, 12763 Tirupati-Secunderabad, 22352 SMVT Bengaluru-Patliputra, 22674 mannargudi-bahagat ki kothi, 20805 Visakhapatnam-new delhi, was diverted along with six and sixer trains.
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Stranded passengers were transhipped by two ‘scratch rakes’ formed at the Kazipet Junction, as two other trains from Rayanapadu in Andhra Pradesh, SMVB Bengaluru-Danapur and Danapur-SMVB Bengaluru, were also diverted. A scratch rake is a substitute train assembled using spare coaches.
Previously, South Central Railway cancelled over 20 trains and diverted more than 30.
Four helpline numbers have been set up to ensure the safety and convenience of people—Hyderabad-27781500, Warangal-2782751, Kazipet-27782660 and Khamman-2782885.
NDRF teams to the rescue
Twenty-six National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed for flood relief and rescue operations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, officials said Monday.
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While twelve teams are already on ground fourteen more are being dispatched, they said.
The NDRF teams in action are being airlifted from various locations across the country, the officials said.
Vijayawada City Police Commissioner IPS SV Rajasekhara Babu with others reviews the rescue operation at a flood-affected area after heavy rainfall, in Vijayawada. (PTI Photo)
Centre promises aid
Centre has provided the Andhra Pradesh government with power boats to carry out flood relief operations in Vijayawada, on Monday. Chief Minister Naidu on Sunday had asked for forty boats and six helicopters from the Central government as the state was running short of them.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana CM Revanth Reddy on Sunday and enquired about the flood situation in both states. The PM assured all possible assistance from the Centre along with helicopters to provide emergency services in adverse weather conditions.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu with others during a visit to a flood-affected area, in Vijayawada. (PTI Photo)
Telangana’s Transport and Backward Classes (BC) Welfare Minister Poonam Prabhakar along with a few MLAs interacted with the stranded passengers at Kazipet Junction in Telangana on Sunday, and ensured the restoration of the railway track, a press release said.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka conducted an on-site inspection of flood-affected areas in Errupalem Mandal in Madhira Constituency of Khammam district to assess the situation, as per a release.
