Cyclone Montha Leaves Telangana Flooded; Transport Networks Severely Disrupted

Post by : Raina Nasser

Telangana has been hit hard by Cyclone Montha, which brought prolonged heavy rainfall after moving inland from the Andhra Pradesh coast and weakening into a deep depression. The system has nevertheless caused extensive flooding and significant disruption across multiple districts.

Persistent downpours since early Wednesday have flooded low-lying settlements, damaged standing crops and severed road links at numerous points. Tracks at Warangal and Dornakal stations were overtopped by water, prompting cancellations and diversions of several train services. Affected districts include Warangal, Hanamkonda, Mulugu, Mahabubabad, Jayashankar Bhupalapally, Nalgonda, Siddipet, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Sircilla and Nagarkurnool.

Exceptional rainfall totals were recorded in parts of the state. Bheemdevarapalle in Hanamkonda reported 41.9 cm in a little over 13 hours, while Kallada (36.7 cm), Urus (34.3 cm) and Redlawada (33.9 cm) in Warangal district, and Dharmasagar (33.28 cm) in Hanamkonda, were among other hotspots. The Telangana Development Planning Society noted that 35 locations received more than 20.5 cm of rain and 68 places recorded over 11.5 cm.

The India Meteorological Department has issued red warnings for Jangaon, Warangal, Hanamkonda, Mahabubabad, Siddipet, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Karimnagar and Sircilla. An orange warning covers Adilabad, Nirmal, Asifabad, Mancherial, Jagtial, Peddapalli and Bhupalapally.

Transport and everyday life have been severely affected. Services such as the Vijayawada Intercity Express and the East Coast Express were halted at Warangal, and Dornakal station in Mahabubabad reported similar service interruptions. Many streets in Hanamkonda town were waterlogged and the local bus terminus appeared submerged.

There have been several localized emergencies: in Khammam district a DCM vehicle was swept away near the Nimmavagu stream; a man was pulled to safety from the Kagna river in Vikarabad; and in Nalgonda about 500 students at a government residential school in Kommapalli were rescued after rising stream waters cut off the campus.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has placed the state on high alert, directing district administrations to evacuate residents from vulnerable areas and move them to relief shelters. The State Irrigation Department is closely monitoring reservoir levels and deploying sandbags where needed. Disaster response teams from the SDRF and NDRF are engaged in ongoing relief and rescue operations across impacted districts.

Officials have urged the public to heed warnings, avoid flooded zones and cooperate with emergency services as Telangana continues to contend with heavy rain and rising waters in the cyclone's aftermath.