Residents of Suryapet woke up to the stench of overflowing sewage and scenes of inundated colony roads, after sudden and heavy rains lashed the town in the wee hours of Monday.
The town and Suryapet mandal received maximum rainfall of 86 mm, followed by Chivvemla (49 mm) and Jajireddygudem (47 mm) mandals, till 8.30 a.m. A few wards and colonies in the town, such as the Srinivasa Colony, Indira Colony and Manasa Nagar were inundated.
Local legislator and Energy Minister G. Jagadish Reddy held an audio conference with the municipal and revenue officials, and soon a helpline and a rescue and relief centre were set up. In Atmakur (S), at around 3 a.m., a family that was en route to Suryapet in their transport vehicle for purchase of sheep had a close shave. The vehicle near Naseempet village road lost control with the heavy overflow from the local tank. It got washed away and stopped after hitting a pole and its occupants escaped safely.
Several village tanks across the district overflowed, breaching minor culverts and submerging low-level bridges. And road transport from villages to the outside remained affected.
In Nalgonda district, Shaligowraram received 82.88 mm rainfall, followed by Kethepalle and Nakrekal mandals. Nakrekal legislator Ch. Lingaiah was seen wading through the muddy waters to interact with residents in Suraram village of Ramannapet mandal, where rainwater entered several houses. Roads and houses at Shaligowraram village, close to the irrigation project, were also inundated.
As per the State Development Planning Society’s 24-hour forecast on Monday, Suryapet and Nalgonda would continue to receive moderate to heavy rainfall.
