Heavy rains wreak havoc in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka

NEW DELHI: Heavy rains took a toll of 25 lives in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The rains also caused heavy loss of property in Karnataka. This sudden downpour is because a deep depression in Bay of Bengal crossed the coast in Kakinada, leading to continuous and heavy rainfall.

Six people have lost their lives due to the collapse of a wall triggered by the heavy rains in Pandharpur town in Maharashtra. K Chandrashekhar Rao, Chief Minister, Government of Telangana and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Chief Minister, Government of Andhra Pradesh, met with Narendra Modi, Prime Minister, Government of India, after the two states were hit with heavy rainfall. Modi assured the states of full support and assistance from the centre in rescue and relief.

Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs, Government of India, said that the ministry is closely examining the situation in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and will provide all the possible help. In Hyderabad, deaths are majorly caused by wall and building collapses caused by the flood-like situation. An advisory has been issued by the government for people to stay indoors and Government of Telangana has declared holiday for two days for employees working in all non-essential sectors.

Police and Disaster Response Force (DRF) of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been deployed in the area for relief purposes in various states in Southern India.

In Andhra Pradesh, heavy rains damaged the roads and disrupted electricity supply in the state. Krishna River is flooded heavily due to the unexpected rainfall over the last couple of days. Reddy announced that the money for the victims who have lost their lives during this natural calamity should be given to their families immediately. He also directed authorities to work towards resuming the electricity supply and fixing the damaged roads.

In Karnataka, all the major dams on the rivers Cauvery and Krishna are full and their gates have been opened. Normal life is affected badly as the major lake overflowed in Anand taluk, Kalaburgi district.

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said that heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over the isolated places in the Konkan region, Goa and over coastal areas of Karnataka and Maharashtra. Fishermen are advised not to venture in the sea near Gulf of Mannar, Comorin area and Southwest Bay of Bengal, off the coast of Karnataka-Kerala coasts and north Andaman Sea.