Torrential rains and flash floods in Hyderabad have affected over 37,000 families, estimate municipal officials. Six more deaths were reported in the city due to rain on Saturday night. The heavy rains and floods on October 13-14 and again on October 17 inundated many areas, affecting over 37,400 families, say Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials.
The GHMC Commissioner Lokesh Kumar said due to heavy rains on October 13, various localities were inundated and about 35,309 families were affected. Another 2,100 families were evacuated to safer places on October 17. With the weather forecast for more rains in the next couple of days, the GHMC, as a precautionary measure, is evacuating residents in low-lying areas. As of Sunday, the state has reported 61 flood-related deaths, reported Times of India.
Deaths reported
Saturday night’s rain reportedly claimed the lives of six more people in the city. A six-year-old girl died at Mangalhat when a wall collapsed on her. Several of the deaths were due to electrocution.
45-year-old Jogu Srinivas died due to electrocution, he had stepped into an inundated cellar to switch on the motor for pumping the water out. 48-year old D Thammaiah, a resident of Malakpet also died due to electrocution when he accidentally touched a live wire. 17-year-old Mohammad Rehan also died of electrocution while shifting household items out from the ground floor to the first. 31-year old L Venkata Naidu of Balanagar got electrocuted and died while clearing the water at his workshop.
At Jubliee hills, five-year-old Sidhu fell and drowned in a pit dug at a construction site. Another man, identified as Vadde Pochaiah aged 40 years, drowned in an overflowing canal at Erdanoor village.
At Nirmal district, a 55-year-old man was washed away in the local river while taking a bath. The deceased identified as Chenana was taking a bath when the flow into the river increased suddenly as officials upstream released water from the Gadenna Vagu reservoir on Sunday morning.
At Ameenpur, the body of a man who got washed away in the floods six days ago was recovered on Sunday. The deceased, identified as Anand, was in his car driving home near a stream when the car got washed away due to heavy flow of floodwater. Six fishermen from Kakinada who are expert divers were roped in by the NDRF to carry out search operations. The vehicle was found at the bottom of the lake. The vehicle was pulled out using three JCBs, Anand’s body was found decomposing inside, reported The New Indian Express.
Relief kits
The GHMC official says they are distributing relief kits to those affected. Those affected are being provided with CM's relief ration kits, along with three blankets, totally worth Rs 2,800. Till now, 20,000 ration kits and blankets were distributed, and remaining kits and blankets will be distributed soon.
Similarly, milk, bread, and biscuits are also being distributed among the affected. The authorities claim to have distributed 90,000 meals during lunchtime and 60,000 meals for dinner.
The engineering wing and Disaster Response Force (DRF) teams are pumping out water from the apartment cellars and inundated colonies. A total of 72 teams and 106 water pumps from the engineering and maintenance side and 170 monsoon teams with 202 water pumps are engaged in the activity.
In order to contain water-borne and vector-borne diseases, the entomology and DRF teams are taking up activities like anti-larva operations, and spraying of bleaching powder and sodium hypochlorite in the cellars and inundated areas.
Thirty tankers, each from the DRF and fire services, were pressed into service for spraying the sodium hypochlorite.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a rain alert until October 22.