Monsoon mayhem hits Telangana as rains trigger chaos across all districts

Heavy rains wreaked havoc across Telangana, submerging villages, damaging infrastructure, and displacing thousands. Red alerts were issued for several districts as the government deployed NDRF teams and opened relief camps. Mulugu and Karimnagar bore the brunt of the devastation.

Hyderabad: Heavy rains battered Telangana over the past 48 hours, triggering flash floods and paralysing daily life across all 33 districts. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of extremely heavy rainfall due to an active southwest monsoon coupled with a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal.

A red alert was issued for Mulugu, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Kumram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial, and Peddapalli, while several other districts were placed under orange and yellow alerts as rainfall intensified. With over 20 cm of rain reported in some areas, roads were inundated, villages cut off, and emergency services pressed into action across the State.

---

Mulugu district was the worst affected, recording 255 mm of rainfall on July 23 and 214.5 mm the following day. Floodwaters submerged low-lying areas and agricultural fields. Overflowing streams like Erravagu and Jampannavagu disrupted access to remote villages in Adilabad and Eturunagaram mandals. In Mangapet mandal, a culvert near the Girijan Petrol Bank collapsed, while the Pakala stream overflowed, isolating 12 villages.

In Karimnagar, chaos reigned as streets turned into streams after 9.3 cm of rainfall. Even the Smart City infrastructure was overwhelmed. Localities near the Collectorate also reported waterlogging. Khammam district saw the Godavari River swell, causing floods in Bhadrachalam. The Wyra reservoir discharged 33,000 cusecs of water to manage the inflow.

Tragic incidents compounded the crisis. In Mulugu’s Wazeedu mandal, a lightning strike killed 20-year-old Totapalli Venu. In Mahabubabad’s Ralla Orrevagu stream, Agaboyina Naresh went missing while fishing. In SS Tadwai mandal, villagers and health workers rescued a pregnant woman, Gummadi Krishnaveni, who had been stranded by floodwaters.

The State government has deployed NDRF and SDRF teams for emergency operations. Control rooms have been set up at district collectorates to track developments. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy directed officials to open relief camps for the 19,000 displaced residents.

Though total seasonal rainfall has reached 26.79 cm, it remains 10 percent below the expected average of 29.78 cm. The IMD has forecast improvement by month-end.