In Medak’s Ramayampet, a Telangana Social Welfare Residential Degree College became the centre of one of the most dramatic rescue efforts, when rising floodwaters trapped over 260 students and seven teachers on the campus.
Published Aug 29, 2025 | 4:13 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 29, 2025 | 4:42 PM
A student being carried across the water
Synopsis: The Telangana Social Welfare Residential Degree College in Ramayampet authorities did not suspect an emergency situation until floodwaters entered the ground-floor dining hall. Along with the water the gushed in, came snakes that further compounded the situation.
The heavy rains that lashed Telangana on Wednesday, 27 August, brought normal life to a standstill across several districts, forcing the state administration to launch urgent rescue and relief measures.
The unrelenting downpour that began the previous night left rivers, streams, and lakes brimming, overwhelming embankments and flooding nearby habitations. Among the worst affected were Kamareddy and Medak districts, where swollen lakes and breached waterbodies inundated low-lying areas.
In Medak’s Ramayampet, a Telangana Social Welfare Residential Degree College became the centre of one of the most dramatic rescue efforts, when rising floodwaters trapped over 260 students and seven teachers on the campus.
Floodwater entered the classrooms and the dining hall by mid-morning, creating panic among students and staff. What began as a heavy spell of rain soon turned into a dangerous situation as the nearby lake breached its limits.
Dr K Sirisha, the Principal of the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Degree College in Ramayampet, will not forget the ordeal.
DRF personnel rescuing students and staff from the college.
“Water started rising in the small lake next to the campus at about 10.30 in the morning. It was raining the previous night also,” she told South First.
Initially, the situation appeared manageable. The college ground was not heavily affected, and although an unpaved road lay in front of the campus, waterlogging was nothing new during monsoons.
The first signs of trouble emerged in the dining hall. “The water soon entered the dining hall, quickly reaching the ground floor, which was a little elevated. It came to the point that the water was soon reaching a few steps of the stairs,” Sirisha said.
The college immediately shifted the students to the first and second floors. The move proved crucial as the water continued to rise. What made matters worse was the sudden appearance of snakes in the flooded waters, further scaring the already panicked students.
Principal K Sirisha supervising the rescue efforts.
The college administration wasted no time in seeking help from the local authorities. “With the students panicking, we immediately reached out to the local police and district administration for assistance,” she explained.
Soon, the Disaster Response Force (DRF) and the police arrived with ropes to help students wade out of the premises. But getting them across was far from easy.
“Given that an unpaved road leads to our college, the ground became marshy. Every step we took was sinking into the mud. This was while the water was already reaching above our knees,” Sirisha recounted.
The rope became the lifeline for the group, ensuring no one slipped as they trudged through the swirling floodwaters. Eventually, all students and staff were evacuated and transported by truck to the safer confines of another residential school, run by the same management.
The challenges did not end with the rescue. The school-turned-relief camp, while providing immediate shelter, had its own difficulties.
“Just behind the school is the dorm in which the other students reside. We had to house all the students from the college in the classrooms. Adding to the trouble was a power outage throughout the night,” Sirisha said.
The uncertainty weighed heavily on the students, many of whom pleaded to be allowed to go home. “The students were afraid of the situation and asked to leave. They asked this at the time when we were receiving continuous calls from parents as well regarding the wards’ conditions. We soon allowed them all to leave with their parents owing to their concerns and the power outage, and water scarcity at this facility. We expect to have them back by Monday,” she added.
Although no injuries or losses were reported, the incident, in Sirisha’s words, was an experience that “shook us.”
For the police and DRF, the rescue at Ramayampet was challenging. Teams arrived at the college shortly after receiving the distress call and worked tirelessly until early afternoon to bring every student and teacher out safely.
Students being evacuated from the Degree College.
“We started the rescue at about 11 am, ending it around 2 pm that same day. Our priority was to ensure that the students and teachers remain safe. A lot of them were also carrying most of their belongings with them, making it important for us to have personnel stationed along the rope to ensure that they do not slip in those conditions,” an officer involved in the operation told South First, while wishing to remain anonymous.
The ground, which turned marshy, was the biggest obstacle. With water rising above knee level and every step sinking into mud, a direct evacuation without support ropes would reportedly have been dangerous. DRF personnel, aided by local police, tied ropes firmly across stretches of waterlogged ground and stationed rescuers at intervals to guide the students.
Each batch of evacuees moved cautiously, balancing their belongings, clutching the rope, and stepping carefully in the sludge until they reached safer ground where trucks waited to transport them out.
The operation lasted nearly three hours, with rescuers making multiple trips until every individual was accounted for. By afternoon, the college campus was empty, inundated in water and mud. While the immediate danger had passed, the task of restoring the institution to a functional state remains a daunting one.
Authorities have since deployed heavy machinery, including earthmovers, to clear the campus. “The ground is marshy. However, we are employing earthmovers to empty the water. Even if we get the water out, we are not sure about when the classes can resume as usual,” they revealed.
The restoration timeline remains uncertain, with classrooms, dining areas, and campus infrastructure all requiring thorough inspection and repair before students can return.
While Ramayampet’s dramatic rescue highlighted the dangers of sudden floods, Kamareddy district has been facing a wider humanitarian crisis. Several parts of the district remain submerged, with thousands displaced from their homes and shifted to temporary shelters. The state administration, supported by local leaders, has set up rehabilitation centres to accommodate evacuees, providing food, blankets, and medical facilities.
In Jukkal Constituency, MLA Thota Laxmikantha Rao supervised the relief efforts. He oversaw the shifting of affected families to rehabilitation centres at Madnoor and Dongli, ensuring that basic amenities were made available to them.
The following day, he visited the centres again, meeting victims and reassuring them of continued support from the administration. So far, over a thousand people have been relocated to safer areas across the constituency.
Rehabilitation centres have been set up at multiple locations, including the Zilla Parishat High Schools in Madnoor and Dongli, and the Primary Agriculture Society building in Goral village, Nizam Sagar. These centres, while offering immediate shelter, are also critical in preventing health crises, especially given the waterlogging and sanitation issues that follow such floods.
Officials have been distributing food packets, blankets, and medicines, even as more families continue to arrive from inundated villages.
Indications are that the rain is easing across Telangana. However, it remains to be seen how soon the state can bounce back and whether it will take flood mitigation measures ahead of the next monsoon.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
