Hyderabad rains and flood: CM K Chandrasekhar Rao calls high-level meeting; state to submit report to Centre

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today (October 15, 2020) called an emergency high-level meeting on the issue of sudden heavy rains and flooding in the state capital in the last two days, news agency ANI reported. With reports of large scale damage to residents of Hyderabad during the heavy downpour, the Chief Minister also instructed a battery of officials to come prepared in the meeting with the information on the extent of damage suffered by the residents.

The Chief Minister’s Office also said that the report of the damage born by the residents of the city will be submitted to the Central government to demand financial aid to the state from the centre, ANI reported.

The sudden downpour that began on Tuesday night took the city and residents by surprise as the monsoon is in its last phase and has withdrawn from most parts of the country. In a matter of hours, the incessant rains led to extreme waterlogging in areas which lie in the low gradient region as the water flowed down from the upper parts of the city to the lower parts. At least 19 people lost their lives due to the heavy rains across the city.

News agency PTI reported state Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar as saying that the authorities were working to pump out the water from areas where it has stagnated. He also said that about 61 relief centres were working round the clock to distribute the aid to the stricken residents of the city by supplying food packets and rescuing those stuck in precarious situations. According to the weather department, the downpour took place in the city due to the formation of a low air pressure region over the Telangana region.

The South West monsoon which is the primary monsoon wind of the country which usually withdraws by the end of September is also delaying its withdrawal from the Indian subcontinent due to the formation of low pressure areas in the Southern and Eastern states of the country.