HYDERABAD: Telangana Prime Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao estimated the loss suffered by the state in Wednesday’s downpour at approximately Rs 5,000 million. Of this, Rs 2 billion would be needed for farmers losing their harvest. After holding a high-level meeting on Thursday, KCR urged the Center to release Rs 1,350 crore as immediate relief.
The prime minister wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking for 600 million rupees to support affected farmers and 750 million rupees for relief and rehabilitation work in the areas falling under Greater Hyderabad, which suffered the brunt of the downpour. Modi had called KCR Wednesday night and assured him that the Center would provide all aid to the state.
According to initial estimates, 20,540 houses in 144 Hyderabad colonies were flooded. Around 35,000 families were affected by heavy rains in the city. The impact was greatest in the areas of Charminar, Secunderabad and Khairatabad.
At Thursday’s meeting, the prime minister took stock of the situation together with senior bureaucrats and ministers. According to an official statement, 50 people have died from the rains throughout the state.
The government has decided that the relatives of those who died in the flood will receive 5 lakh rupees each. Around 7.55 lakh acres of agricultural land have been flooded. Senior officials said that even if half of that land had standing crops, the damage would be estimated at around 2 billion rupees.
The prime minister has directed officials to ensure that apartment basements in all new construction are protected from flooding. He added that building permits need to be issued in such a way that builders ensure that floodwaters don’t rush in and wreak havoc. The instructions came after several people were killed or injured while drawing water from their basements.
Concerned that power lines could cause fires in flooded areas, the prime minister called on people in Hyderabad and other areas to be patient and take extra precautions until the power supply is restored. He released Rs 5 crore to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) immediately and announced that the government will help people rebuild their damaged houses.
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