The trail of disaster that has engulfed the city of Hyderabad and several districts of Telangana and Karnataka is in no mood to stop. The heavy downpour of last week has already sucked the lives of more than 65 people. Giving an orange alert to the Hyderabad for Monday and the next 3 days to follow, the Meteorological Department has indicated that there might be rains very similar to what was experienced in the past few days. While Hyderabad has received an orange alert, which acts as a warning to the authorities to stay prepared for any unseen emergencies, the rest of the state of Telangana has got the yellow alert- to be updated on the weather conditions and changes.
The thunders being witnessed since early afternoon are giving weight to the forecasts of the MeT. The Centre’s notice comes as the low-pressure areas of the Arabian Sea have taken up pace and got stronger. They are traveling away from the Indian coast, giving a major hint for heavy to very heavy rains flooding the low-lying areas of Telangana, Coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh, and the Andaman Islands.
The terrifying downpour has left many homeless while a dozen others have lost their family. The alerts only indicate additional trauma that the residents of low lying areas will have to face in the near future unless they get prepared for it.
As such, authorities have warned the people of areas that are at most risk to restrict their movement, remain indoors and at a safe level from the ground.
With the thunderstorms and floodings likely to take over the city again, one of the major issues in the level of preparedness is the fact that the machine that measures the quantum of rain has chosen this time to get broken. The Doppler radar of Hyderabad’s weather department is under repair due to the ill-effects of weather that led to voltage fluctuations. This could have predicted the level of rain to hit specific locations more accurately, in turn helping authorities and residents to take necessary precautions.
The rains on Tuesday and Wednesday were recorded as the highest of the century, ranging from 20cm-32cm. However, some people claim that the olden eras have seen heavier rainfalls than this. They say that as the low lying areas were populated during the 1960s and 70s, there wasn’t a loss of lives and material. The increased population in the city, which has led to cutting down thousands of trees to build homes in those several acres, has contributed to the hazardous effects. One of the hardest-hit areas of the rain, Tolichowki, was once upon a time utterly deserted. It did witness the extremely heavy rains, yet dint comes in the news as earlier, the aftermath was suffered by the trees and nature, and not humans.
Nevertheless, the recent rains have bestowed a net loss of Rs 6000 crores in the damage. Additionally, the Musa river’s puranapul has been shut for travel and movement as the water body has swelled up due to the heavy inflow of rainwater.
All residents of the city and state are advised to stay home and commute only if it is absolutely necessary, with all precautions.
