With incessant rains lashing Telangana for the last three days, water levels in Hyderabad’s Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar reservoirs have increased drastically and officials have lifted their gates to release water into the Musi river. On Thursday, five gates were lifted at Himayat Sagar while two gates were lifted at Osman Sagar, also known as Gandipet lake. The water level in Himayat Sagar reached 1,763 feet against the storage capacity of 1,780 feet, while water level reached 1,786 feet at Gandipet lake, against the storage capacity of 1,792 feet.
As water was being released into the Musi river, which runs through Hyderabad, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) directed the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to be on alert and avert any untoward incidents. The CM also directed officials to shift people from low-lying areas to safe places and ordered that no illegal constructions should be spared if they're obstructing the water flow.
As many as 16 Telangana districts are witnessing a flood-like situation due to heavy rainfall in the state. At the Sriram Sagar Project in Nizamabad, situated on the Godavari river, 33 out of 42 gates have been lifted, while 6 out of 64 gates were lifted at the Jurala project on the Krishna river. At Adilabad’s Kadem project, 16 out of 17 gates were lifted as the district is witnessing heavy floods.
Besides inundating and flooding several towns across districts, the rainfall also caused boulders to fall on the roads in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district. Reports in regional media also showed water inundation in the premises of the newly-opened Rajanna Sircilla Integrated Collectorate Complex.
The Chief Minister has directed officials to be on high alert and monitor the situation constantly. As the Indian Meteorological Department has forecast heavy rain for the next two days, he directed all departments to take preventive measures. KCR pointed out that heavy rain occurring in the Western Ghats in Maharashtra, where Mahabaleshwar recorded 70 cm rainfall, will lead to an increase in floods in the Krishna river’s catchment areas.
He observed that the official machinery of Telangana should learn about managing flood situations and create a flood management system on a permanent basis. "Set up an effective flood management team with seven officers who know how to take safety measures for people during the floods. Keep records of floods every year. Take preventive measures during the floods based on the record of the past floods," he said.
Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar held a teleconference with the Collectors and Superintendents of Police to take stock of the situation. He instructed them to take up relief and rescue measures on a war footing to prevent the loss of life and damage to property.
With IANS inputs