Heavy rains are expected in Hyderabad over the next few days, as per a forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The city witnessed heavy rainfall on the night of Monday, September 26, leading to waterlogging and severe traffic jams in many areas. According to the IMD’s zone-wise forecast for Hyderabad for the next five days, an orange warning is in place for Tuesday and Wednesday, and a yellow warning has been issued for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On Tuesday and Wednesday, moderate to heavy rain or thundershowers with lightning at times have been predicted, with an intense spell of rainfall very likely to occur. Light to moderate rain is expected from Thursday to Saturday across the city, including Charminar, Khairatabad, Kukatpally, LB Nagar, Secunderabad and Serilingampally zones.
Three people died after being struck by lightning in different parts of Telangana amid the heavy rainfall on Monday, according to IANS. Deaths due to lightning were reported from Bhadradri Kothagudem, Khammam and Hanamkonda districts. In Hyderabad, police had issued a notice asking people not to venture out until 9 pm on Monday night, owing to heavy traffic amid the rains. Rachakonda police urged people to stay away from drains and culverts. Uparpally, Rajendranagar, Mallepally, Toli Chowki and Uppal were among the areas that witnessed waterlogging. Later in the night, Kukatpally, Quthbullapur, Alwal, Madhapur and other areas also received heavy rains. Areas like Asif Nagar, Gudimalkapur, Malaket and Musheerabad also witnessed major inundation.
Drains were overflowing in several parts of the city, inundating roads. The main roads saw long traffic snarls, and people who were returning home from offices and working places were stranded due to gridlock at almost all major traffic junctions. Motorists were caught in traffic jams for several hours. Electricity supply was also disrupted in some areas. Rainwater also entered the houses in some colonies due to overflowing lakes and tanks. Disaster Response Force (DRF) teams of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) were pressed into service to clear waterlogging.
With IANS inputs