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Mohammed Yousuf

Taking a huge toll: A view of marooned Nadeem Colony at Tolichowki area in Hyderabad where evacuation operations continued on the second day on Sunday. Heavy rains brought down homes and swamped parts of Andhra Pradesh, killing at least 40 people over the weekend, officials said on Sunday. The rains triggered flooding in the State and swamped capital Hyderabad where 14 people were killed, mostly crushed under the roofs of their homes. More than 150,000 people have been shifted to makeshift camps in the State’s coastal belt where flood waters damaged homes and crops and washed away roads. —

Our Bureau Hyderabad, Aug. 10 Hundred of villages in 10 districts of Andhra Pradesh continue to be waterlogged due to unabated floods, though Sunday saw a respite from heavy rain that had lashed the State for two days.

The death toll rose to 57 on Sunday evening with the State capital alone accounting for 13 deaths, according to officials.

Though revenue officials are yet to ascertain the damage of crops caused by the rain, the Government indicated that paddy in about 4 lakh acres in the Krishna district are under a thick sheet of water. Power, road and rail connectivity to many districts in Warangal and Adilabad remained cut off for the second consecutive day.

Reviewing the situation in an emergency teleconference with the district collectors, the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, empowered the district collectors to take necessary action to speed up the relief and rehabilitation work.

He directed the officials to pay an immediate ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh to the relatives of those who died due to the rain and distribution of 20 kg of rice and five litres of kerosene to families taking shelter at 119 relief camps.

The officials should focus on providing food, safe drinking water and milk to people marooned by the floods, the Chief Minister said.

Collectors should visit the affected villages to estimate the loss to crops and ensure coordination between revenue, police, roads, panchayat raj and health departments, Dr Reddy said.

The heavy rain caused immense damage in the districts of Adilabad, Khammam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and Warangal, the officials informed. Due to strengthening of river tanks, severe damage was averted in Nalgonda, Ranga Reddy and Adilabad districts, they added.

Meanwhile, the State Capital started returning to normalcy as the heavy downpour of Saturday turned into an occasional drizzle on Sunday.

There was respite from the downpour as the low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal moved to Orissa and West Bengal coasts.

However, the threat of another spell of torrential rain loomed large over coastal Andhra and Telangana due to the extended influence of low-pressure, according to officials.

More Stories on : Natural Calamities | Andhra Pradesh

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