Low-lying areas alerted as rains claim 4 lives

HYDERABAD: With torrential rains lashing the state for the past three days claiming four lives, the district collectors and other officials have been instructed to be on alert and monitor the situation in the rain-affected districts with special emphasis on low-lying areas.Moderate to heavy rain is expected across the state in the next 48 hours due to an upper air cyclonic circulation over Vidarbha in Maharastra which is extending to Telangana and Rayalaseema, according to Cyclone Warning Centre, Visakhapatnam.Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has asked the officials to clear the nalas and sewerage pipelines apart from pumping out water from inundated areas on an emergency basis.In a meeting with the officials here on Monday, the chief minister directed the district collectors of Kurnool, Mahaboobnagar, Guntur, West Godavari, Anantapur and Kadapa to provide relief to the people in the affected areas. The officials were asked to keep the rescue, relief and medical teams ready to deal with any unforeseen incidents in the affected areas. The irrigation department has been instructed to repair breaches to water tanks, while the roads and buildings and panchayat raj department officials were directed to repair roads in the rain-affected areas.Kiran Kumar Reddy wanted the GHMC authorities to repair roads in the city that were badly damaged due to the heavy rain apart from draining out water from low-lying areas. The traffic police were also asked to take all measures to prevent traffic jams.Though heavy rain lashed several parts of Telangana and Rayalaseema districts for the last three days, six Telangana districts still have deficit rainfall.Adilabad, Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Mahaboobnagar, Nalgonda and Ranga Reddy districts have received 20 pc deficit rainfall with Chittoor being the only district to with 20 pc excess rainfall.Cumulative rainfall will be better as several parts of AP were receiving heavy rain for the last two days, a senior scientist said.