RAIN CHAOS: 31 dead in Andhra, T'gana

HYDERABAD/VIJAYAWADA:

Torrential rains in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh killed 31 people, destroyed roads and railway tracks and inundated thousands of acres of farmland. People were left scrambling for daily needs while emergency services were tasked with rescue and reconstruction operations. The two Telugu-speaking states were badly affected by the rains on Monday. Sixteen people were killed in Telangana and 15 more in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, which was particularly hard hit by the heavy rains. Some of the gravel beneath the railway tracks near Kesamudram in Telangana was washed away by the floods. Nearly 450,000 people were affected in Andhra and worst-hit Vijayawada saw heart-wrenching scenes of people struggling to get essentials, including milk. The worst-hit districts were NTR, Guntur, Krishna, Eluru, Palnadu, Bapatla and Prakasam, according to an official release.

Twenty SDRF and 19 NDRF teams are involved in relief and rescue operations. Life in Vijayawada has gone haywire following torrential rains for the past three days and power outages lasting over 24 hours in several parts of the city. Local news channels showed a woman complaining to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu that people were stranded without drinking water for two days in Ajit Singh Nagar in Vijayawada. She complained that no boat had come to her rescue, while another man stood in waist-deep water and pleaded with Naidu, who was visiting the flood-hit areas by boat for the third time, to understand their plight. People were seen wading through the water with their children on their shoulders and making their way to safety. An old woman lying on a mattress was being pulled across the water by two people. Some people were trying to help themselves through the water using a rope. As people waded through the floodwaters, some of them were holding some essential items in their hands, and a long queue was formed at one of the flooded locations to collect milk bags and food parcels.

At one such place, a flood victim complained that there was no milk since Sunday morning and alleged that no help had come from the government. Internet and mobile connections were disrupted and long traffic jams disrupted normal life. Connectivity to Hyderabad was also affected. Traffic in Vijayawada city and surrounding areas was chaotic. The Prakasam dam discharged 1.13 million cubic feet of flood water by 8 am on Monday morning. In Telangana, at least 16 people were killed in separate rain-related incidents and the state government on Monday put the damage at Rs 5 billion, citing preliminary estimates. It sought immediate central assistance of Rs 2 billion. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the affected areas and declare the floods a national disaster.

He also announced a reward of Rs 500,000 each to the kin of those killed in the rain-related incidents. As part of his visit to the rain-hit areas, the CM met ministers and officials in Suryapet. Due to incessant rains in both the states, floods and water bursts were reported in the Kazipet-Vijayawada section and five trains were stranded. 4 killed in heavy rains in Marathwada region: Heavy rains have lashed the Marathwada region of Maharashtra in the last 24 hours, ending at 9 am on Monday. Pathri village in Parbhani district recorded the highest rainfall of 314 mm, claiming four lives and disrupting normal life in the rural areas, officials said. Home Guard soldier dies after being washed away in Gujarat rains, NDRF recovers body: Amid heavy rains in Gujarat over the past few days, a 34-year-old Home Guard soldier named Devesh died after being washed away in the heavy rains. The body of a Home Guard soldier has been recovered by the NDRF, officials confirmed.