The red alert was also issued for state capital Hyderabad, where people shared multiple clips of traffic congestion due to flooded roads.
Vehicles partially submerged in Hyderabad on 24 July (left) and massive traffic congestion at the IT hub. (Screengrab)
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for nine Telangana districts even as heavy rains accompanied by gusty winds whipped the state after a brief lull.
Low-lying areas in several parts of the state were inundated. Heavy rains caused waterlogging and traffic snarls at many localities in Hyderabad on Monday, 25 July.
The weather department predicted heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy rains (more than 205 mm) at several isolated places in the Karimnagar, Peddapally, Khammam, Nalgonda, Suryapet, Mahbubabad, Vikarabad, Warangal and Hyderabad districts, where a red alert has been sounded.
State capital Hyderabad received 356.1 mm of rain since 1 June, which is significantly higher than the average rainfall of 248.6 mm while Telangana saw 409.9 mm of rain against the average of 313.2 mm.
Several citizens uploaded videos of prolonged traffic jams on social media. Damage to properties was also reported from various places in the city.
Meanwhile, the police issued a log-off timetable for IT employees to avoid traffic congestion.
For the Hyderabad region, the IMD issued a red alert stating that moderate to extremely intense spells of thunderstorms were very likely to occur in the next 24 hours.
K Nagaratna, the head scientist at the Weather Forecasting Department of the Hyderabad centre of the IMD, said a strong low-pressure area formed over Telangana was likely to strengthen into a cyclone in the next 24 hours.
“Due to its effect, Telangana will be experiencing widespread rain in the next three-four days. Today, the eastern districts are likely to receive rain. From tomorrow, Hyderabad may get heavy showers, and on 27 July, the districts west of Hyderabad — Vikarabad, Sangareddy, Medak, and Nizamabad — will see very heavy rain,” she told South First on Tuesday.
The IMD also issued an orange alert for 16 districts and predicted heavy to very rainfall. These districts are Nirmal, Jagityal, Jayashankar Bhupalapally, Mulugu, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Hanamkonda, Jangoan, Siddipet, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Sangareddy, Medak, Kamareddy, Mahbubnagar, Mancherial, and Nizamabad.
A yellow alert has been issued for the Rajanna Siricilla, Adilabad, Kumarambheem, Rangareddy, Hyderabad, Nagarkurnool, Wanaparthy, Narayanpet, Jogulamba Gadwal, and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts.
Telangana was witnessing erratic rainfall for at least three days in a row last week.
Since Tuesday morning, Tadikal village in Karimnagar received the highest amount of rainfall — 67.3 mm, according to the Telangana State Development Planning Society (TSDPS).
In the past 24 hours, the state received an average rainfall of 43.9 mm, almost six times higher than normal average of 7.4 mm, the TSDPS report said.
The highest rainfall in the state — 431.2 mm — was recorded in the Vailpur mandal of the Nizamabad district. The Mancherial district also received heavy rain.
Parts of the highways in Nizamabad and Warangal-Khammam were submerged, affecting vehicular traffic.
In the GHMC region, the Charminar area of Hyderabad recorded the highest rainfall of 73.5 mm.
Officials have warned the people living in catchment areas of the twin reservoirs — Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar — to be alert.
Incessant heavy rains in Hyderabad bring the city to a standstill. 😔#HyderabadTraffic #HyderabadFloods pic.twitter.com/JFtgmFismO
— Jakera Choudhury (@JakeraChoudhury) July 25, 2023
Heavy spells of rain for nearly an hour brought life to a standstill in Hyderabad as roads were severely waterlogged and swamped. Water also entered several buildings.
The city’s busy stretches witnessed bumper-to-bumper traffic at the IT hub comprising Hi-Tec City, Gachibowli, Financial District, Madhapur, IKEA Junction to Jubilee Hills, Banjara Hills, Begumpet, Mehdipatnam, and other areas.
The sudden downpour flooded several roads in the Banjara Hills, Raj Bhavan, Khairtabad, Attapur, Nampally, Sanathnagar, and Uppal areas. Vehicles were seen wading through the flooded roads.
Huge chaos of traffic at #ikea junction after powerful rains as usual.
📸 @badarameshkumar @swachhhyd @KTRBRS @HYDTP @anusha_puppala @4tvhyd @TV9Telugu pic.twitter.com/8imDUGKYet— ℙ𝕖𝕠𝕡𝕝𝕖 𝕠𝕗 ℍ𝕪𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕓𝕒𝕕 (@PeopleHyderabad) July 24, 2023
In view of the sudden rains, the Cyberabad police cautioned employees of IT and other sectors to be careful.
Scheduled logout time for IT employees in Cyberabad to avoid traffic congestion. (Supplied)
“Many roads in the city are flooded due to heavy rain. All employees of the IT and other sectors should exercise caution when travelling home in vehicles,” the notice said.
The police subsequently issued a staggered log-off timetable for the employees of IT companies in the Cyberabad area in an effort to avoid traffic congestion.
A user of X (previously Twitter) named Anusha Puppala said it took her two hours to cover 15-16km.
“Crazy traffic. Stay indoors this week if possible,” she wrote on the platform.
The disaster response force attended to multiple complaints of uprooted trees, water stagnation, and a wall collapse at the Divya Shakti Apartment near Ameerpet.
On the night of 18 July, a 45-year-old differently-abled man died in the Warangal district when a dilapidated house collapsed on him due to the downpour.
The Telangana Directorate of School Education (DSE) announced on Monday that primary schools in the state would operate from 9.30 am to 4.45 pm instead of the earlier 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
The decision would apply to all schools in the state — except those in Secunderabad and Hyderabad — in view of heavy rains.
Upper primary schools would conduct classes from 9.30 am to 4.45 pm while primary schools would end by 4.15 pm.
#HyderabadRains #Malakpet waterlogged after powerful rains.@HiHyderabad @swachhhyd @KTRBRS @GHMCOnline @MalakpetD pic.twitter.com/wRutE4qUta
— ℙ𝕖𝕠𝕡𝕝𝕖 𝕠𝕗 ℍ𝕪𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕓𝕒𝕕 (@PeopleHyderabad) July 24, 2023
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