As Hyderabad Braces for More Rain, Army Relief Teams Put on Standby
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New Delhi: With the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting heavy rains in Hyderabad, Indian Army relief teams have been put on standby.
According to The News Minute, the Army said on Tuesday that the decision was taken at the request of the state government. Nine flood relief teams with boats are on standby and additional teams and boats will be sent as per the situation.
The IMD centre in Hyderabad in its weather warning for Telangana said thunderstorms accompanied with lightning were very likely to occur at isolated places in the state on Wednesday. It said heavy rains were very likely at isolated places in the districts, including Vikarabad, Nalgonda and Hyderabad, on Wednesday.
Also Read: Years of Poor Urban Planning Contributed to the Hyderabad Flash Floods
On Tuesday, many parts of Telangana experienced heavy to moderate rainfall. With Hyderabad and other districts of the state still reeling from the effects of the previous round of heavy rainfall, the authorities have stepped up efforts to mitigate possible damage.
Speed boats being carried for rescue and relief works in rain and flood-hit areas, in Hyderabad, October 20, 2020. Photo: PTI
The Telangana government began distributing financial assistance of Rs 10,000 each to the families hit by one of the worst delugues in Hyderabad as the relief works continued while the city received rains for the fourth straight day on Tuesday.
State municipal administration minister K.T. Rama Rao and other ministers and MLAs handed over the Rs 10,000 assistance to the flood victims at different localities in the city, a day after chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao announced the measure.
The heavy rains have left 70 people dead in the state in the last one week, with damage to properties and other losses pegged at over Rs 5,000 crore as per preliminary estimates.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) earlier on Tuesday advised citizens to stay indoors unless unavoidable.
The GHMC also announced that it was clearing water stagnation and fallen trees in view of the heavy rains in the city. All teams were alert and attending to emergency citizen assistance calls.
Commuters walk on a waterlogged street near Charminar in Hyderabad, October 19, 2020. Photo: PTI
State governments announce financial aid
Meanwhile, chief minister KCR spoke to his counterparts in Tamil Nadu (K. Palaniswami), West Bengal (Mamata Banejee) and Delhi (Arvind Kejriwal) and thanked them for announcing financial help to the rain-hit Telangana, an official release said.
Kejriwal announced a donation of Rs 15 crore for the relief works while Mamata Banerjee said her government would like to contribute a token sum of Rs 2 crore to the Telangana CM Relief Fund.
Irrigation department officials reinstate the breached embankment of the Balapur Talab, anticipating heavy rains as predicted by the IMD, in Hyderabad, October 19, 2020. Photo: PTI
Union minister of state for home G. Kishan Reddy, who is a Lok Sabha member from Secunderabad, in a statement announced he would donate three months of his salary for relief work.
Film actors Chiranjeevi, Mahesh Babu, Prabhas, Pawan Kalyan and a number of others also announced contributions to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund towards flood relief work.
Ordinary citizens, civil society organisations and many others have also contributed to the fund.
An inundated road in Kompally, Hyderabad. Photo: By arrangement
An area in Bowenpally of Hyderabad was inundated due to the rains. Photo: By arrangement
(With PTI inputs)
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