IMD warns of heavy rainfall over Konkan, Central Maharashtra, Telangana & Gujarat for next 2 days
AMN / WEB DESK
Torrential rains continued to lash in several parts of Saurashtra in Gujarat leading to a flood-like situation in coastal districts including Junagadh, Gir Somnath Porbandar, and Jamnagar. Meanwhile, the Met department has issued a Red alert for Junagadh, Porbandar, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Amreli, and Valsad districts.
Heavy rains for the third consecutive day have disrupted normal life in the coastal districts of Saurashtra. Many villages and fields have been submerged in water. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will conduct an aerial survey of rain-affected areas including Mangrol, Talala, and Gir Somnath. The Chief Minister will also chair a meeting with the district administration in Junagadh to take stock of the flood situation. Eight teams of NDRF have been deployed in the rain-affected areas and people stranded in water are being rescued and shifted to safer places.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also issued a ‘Red’ alert for Thane, Raigad, Pune, and Palghar districts for today, July 21. An ‘orange’ alert has been sounded for Mumbai. The IMD has predicted very heavy rainfall at isolated places in Mumbai city and its suburbs.
District authorities of Thane and Palghar have declared the closure of all the schools and colleges. A 45-year-old man died and four persons were injured when a wall collapsed in Bhayandar in the Thane district. After a heavy downpour on Wednesday, the intensity of rain reduced on Thursday and there were few showers in some parts of the city. Suburban train services were normal on both the Central Railway and Western Railway routes. However, traffic was affected due to water logging in some parts of the city.
In Telangana, incessant rains continue to lash several parts of the state for the fourth day, causing widespread flooding in low-lying areas and disrupting normal life. The state administration is on high alert with the Hyderabad Meteorological Centre predicting more rains. Special teams have been sent to the districts that are on Red alert, to mitigate the impact of the floods and safeguard the lives of the citizens.
Met officials issued a Red alert for extremely heavy spells in Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Macherial, and Jayashankar Bhupalpally districts during the next 48 hours and an Orange alert for very heavy rain for a dozen districts including Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, Gundi in Karimnagar district recorded the highest ever 211 mm of rainfall till 6 AM this morning. Several parts in Adilabad, Sangareddy, Ranga Reddy, Mahabubnagar, Vikarabad, and Jagityal recorded heavy rainfall of over 120 mm. The state government has ordered the closure of all educational institutions in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation area for two days. Osmania University has suspended its classes and postponed the scheduled examinations.
Due to the continuous downpour, several lakes, tanks, and streams across the state received huge inflows and disrupted road connectivity in some areas. The incessant rains also caused severe flooding in low-lying areas in Hyderabad and Warangal cities, causing inconvenience to residents.
The water level in river Godavari increased rapidly at Bhadrachalam in Bhadradri Kothagudem district and crossed the first warning level of 43 feet yesterday afternoon. With a discharge of over 9 lakh cusecs and increasing inflows from upstream, officials are expecting the water levels to rise further and reach the second warning level of 48 feet. As a precautionary measure, residents living in low-lying areas along the Godavari River have been alerted.
The adverse weather conditions also affected coal production in several mines operated by the state-owned Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) in Khammam, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Mahabubabad, and other districts. Power distribution companies have appealed to the people to be cautious.