35 killed in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh as rains continue to wreak havoc

Unprecedented rainfall and floods in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh over the past three days have killed 35 people, battered roads and rail tracks, submerged thousands of acres of crops and left people scrambling for essentials, as agencies engaged in relief and rescue operations and the chief ministers of the two states stepped up efforts to tackle the situation.

Sixteen people were killed in rain-related incidents in Telangana and 19 in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, as continuous downpour since Saturday caused by a depression in the Bay of Bengal disrupted normal life in the two southern states.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted more rainfall in some parts of both the states on Tuesday.

In Telangana, incessant rainfall caused inundation of low-lying areas, damage to agricultural crops and disruption of the state’s rail and road links with neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

The Revanth Reddy government in Telangana has put the damage at ₹5,000 crore as per preliminary estimates and sought an immediate assistance of ₹2,000 crore from the Centre. State information technology and industries minister D Sridhar Babu told reporters that the actual extent of damage was being estimated and the government would soon come out with full details.

The MeT office said the state received more heavy rains than normal and also predicted heavy rains in Adilabad, Nizamabad and Nirmal districts on Tuesday. Heavy rain is also very likely to occur at isolated places in Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Jagtial, Sangareddy, Medak and Kamareddy districts till 8.30 am on Tuesday, the weather body said.

In view of the forecast, chief minister Reddy directed the collectors and other officials of these districts to be alert and shift the people in low-lying areas to relief camps, if necessary.

Reddy, who held a meeting with officials in Hyderabad earlier in the day, also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the rain-hit areas and to declare the floods as a national calamity. In a statement, he announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh for the kin of each of the deceased. While 16 deaths were confirmed, five people continued to remain missing at the time of filing this report.

In flood-hit areas of Khammam, household items were seen washed away and some items carried away by water were stuck to the gates of houses. Residents of the affected areas narrated their woes to state revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, who visited them.

Reddy, in the statement, said the state government will submit a comprehensive report of the flood damage to the Centre and request Modi to visit the flood-hit areas of Nalgonda, Warangal and Khammam besides declaring the situation as national calamity. He asked chief secretary Santhi Kumari to write a letter to the Prime Minister in this regard.

In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, as many as 19 people have died in various rain-related incidents in the past three days, the state government said on Monday.

According to an official release, five people in Mogalrajapuram in Vijayawada and one person each at Vijayawada Rural, G Kondru mandal and Reddygudem mandal were killed in landslides. They all hailed from NTR district.

Officials said nearly 450,000 people have been affected by the rainfall and floods in the state, leading to the evacuation of 31,238 people to 166 relief camps.

The most affected districts included NTR, Guntur, Krishna, Eluru, Palnadu, Bapatla and Prakasam. Twenty teams of the State Disaster Response Force and 19 National Disaster Response Force are engaged in relief and rescue operations, the officials said.

Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu visited the flood-hit areas and interacted with the affected people. “Visited flood-affected areas in Vijayawada for the second day. I personally monitored the relief being extended to flood victims…,” he said on X, adding: “Safety of the people is our responsibility. We are putting in all efforts to relieve them as soon as possible from this unexpected calamity.”

Following a request from the Guntur and NTR district administrations, the Indian Navy agreed to deploy two choppers for search and rescue operations in the affected areas, the officials cited above said.

On Sunday, Naidu had called up Union home minister Amit Shah and requested for additional boats and helicopters to bolster relief and rescue work. He also updated Modi on the ground situation.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi urged Congress leaders and workers to mobilise all available resources to support the ongoing relief and rescue efforts in the two states.

“My thoughts are with the people of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh as they endure relentless rainfall and devastating floods. I extend my deepest condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones. I urge Congress leaders and workers to mobilise all available resources to support the ongoing relief and rescue efforts,” he said on X.

“The Telangana Government is working tirelessly to manage the crisis and initiate the rebuilding process. I strongly urge both the Central Government and the Andhra Pradesh Government to swiftly provide comprehensive rehabilitation packages for all those affected by this disaster,” he added.