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Heavy rains battered Hyderabad and several Telangana districts on September 14, leading to severe waterlogging, traffic disruption, infrastructure damage, and tragic loss of lives.
Secunderabad has recorded the highest rainfall of 123 mm, followed closely by Musheerabad (116 mm), Jawahar Nagar (114 mm), and Osmania University (105.8 mm). Several other localities, including Jubilee Hills, Tolichowki, Mehdipatnam, Himayathnagar, Raidurgam, and Gachibowli, were inundated, leaving motorists stranded and traffic diverted at key junctions.
Police personnel from all three commissionerates, along with Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) teams, were deployed to clear flooded roads. “Every major waterlogging point in Hyderabad, and there are about 40 of them, requires a thorough root cause analysis… Each location has to be studied in relation to its catchment area,” HYDRAA Commissioner AV Ranganath said, according to The Hindu.
Further, three young men were swept away in floodwaters. According to a Times of India report, Arjun (25) and Rama (26), both butchers, were washed away in Afzal Sagar, Habeebnagar, while Sunny (26), a private worker, was killed in Vinobha Nagar when a wall over a drain collapsed. Rescue operations by both the National and State Disaster Relief Forces, as well as police teams, are still underway.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow warning for nine Telangana districts – Adilabad, Nirmal, Nizamabad, Vikarabad, Sangareddy, Medak, Kamareddy, Mahabubnagar, and Narayanpet – for the next three days. Thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds of 30–40 kmph are likely across the state. Hyderabad, too, may see light to moderate showers accompanied by gusty winds.
According to the IMD's warning system, a red warning denotes rainfall exceeding 20 cm in 24 hours, an orange warning indicates 11-20 cm of rainfall, and a yellow warning signals heavy rainfall ranging from 6 to 11 cm.
In Adilabad, the rains also caused a portion of the 80-year-old district collectorate building to collapse. Reports said that two policemen narrowly escaped being crushed when a slab caved in minutes before Minister Jupally Krishna Rao’s scheduled meeting. The minister later reviewed flood-related damages, noting that 17,496 acres of farmland were impacted, affecting over 12,775 farmers. Relief and compensation measures have been promised to all affected.
With heavy rainfall predicted to continue, authorities have urged residents to remain cautious, avoid low-lying areas, and follow traffic advisories.