Heavy rains lash Hyderabad, boats out for rescue in old city

Boats were out in parts of old Hyderabad to rescue people as heavy rains accompanied by gusty winds lashed the city early Wednesday morning.

Authorities said there was cloudburst leading to heavy rains in a short duration, inundating low-lying areas, disrupting vehicular traffic and electricity supply in many parts of the city.

The residents of Hyderabad and suburbs woke up to thunderstorms on Wednesday as high intensity rains in a couple of hours left low-lying residential areas and roads inundated.

The gusty winds also uprooted trees and led to blackouts in several areas.

Water-logging on key roads in several areas in Hyderabad, including Basheerbagh, Khairatabad, Lakdi Ka Pul, Secunderabad, Kukatpally, Malakpet, Alwal and Uppal disrupted vehicular traffic.

Disaster Response Force (DRF) teams of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) were out with boats in the worst-affected areas in the old city to rescue people from marooned localities. Boats were pressed into service in Madina Nagar and Dhobhi Ghat in Yakutpura constituency. Some areas in Bahadurpura constituency were also badly hit with flood water entering the houses.

"DRF teams clearing water stagnation, tree falls and providing citizens assistance in wake of inundation caused by sudden cloud burst," tweeted director, enforcement, vigilance, disaster management, GHMC.

The state-run Telangana State Development Planning Society (TSDPS) recorded 6.8 cm to 11.1 cm rainfall in parts of Hyderabad and surrounding districts.

Maredpally and Musheerabad in Hyderabad recorded rainfall of 8.68 and 7.73 cm.

Nalgonda, Medchal Malkangiri, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Siddipet, Peddapalli, Jagtiyal and other districts also received heavy rainfall with gusty winds and lightning.

Unseasonal rains provided relief to people reeling under sweltering heat but caused massive losses to farmers.

Paddy stored by farmers near procurement centres in various districts was damaged due to overnight and early morning rains. Farmers said they were waiting for their produce to be procured by authorities and appealed to the government to compensate for their losses.