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Hyderabad: The Musi began overflowing into adjacent colonies and inundated portions of the ORR service roads, prompting the HMWS&SB to issue a flood warning on Friday night. The city’s twin drinking water reservoirs were releasing about 30,000 cusecs of water, 18,000 from Himayatsagar and 11,557 cusecs from Osmansagar. According to reports at 10.30 pm the GHMC had shifted about 1,000 people from harm’s way and accommodated them in safer places such as community halls and school buildings. They include about 55 people from near the Shivaji bridge, about 500 residents of Shankarnagar in Malakpet, 45 families of Durganagar and Ambedkarnagar close to the Moosarambagh bridge ,and 32 from Krishnanagar near Golnaka Kamela. Elsewhere in the city, rain that began late Thursday night spread across much of Telangana on Friday, causing waterlogging in low-lying areas and disrupting air travel. At least three IndiGo flights bound for Hyderabad from Mumbai, Pune and Kolkata were diverted to Vijayawada as a precaution. Forecasts suggest the Navaratri period will continue to see rainfall. Traffic snarls were reported at waterlogged stretches in Gachibowli, the Shaikpet flyover zone and Kothur underpass. Cyberabad traffic police urged IT firms to permit work-from-home to ease congestion. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy directed collectors to remain on standby for evacuations, halt traffic on flood-prone roads and set up relief camps in vulnerable zones. GHMC, HYDRAA, SDRF and NDRF teams have been placed on alert across Hyderabad and other districts. This wet spell shows no signs of abating. Skies are expected to remain overcast, with rain becoming more frequent. Even brief showers could flood streets and strain drainage systems. Residents in low-lying areas have been asked to stay cautious. In Ranga Reddy’s Shabad region, Tallapally received 105.5 mm of rainfall and Shabad itself 102.3 mm by evening, according to the Telangana Development Planning Society. Jogulamba Gadwal, Vikarabad and surrounding mandals also reported heavy showers in the 80–90 mm range. The cumulative average in Hyderabad was 18.5 mm. Overnight, Quthbullapur recorded 46 mm, Gajularamaram 23 mm and Serilingampally 20 mm. The rains brought some respite from the heat, with Hyderabad dipping to a low of 20.5 °C, nearly 5 °C below normal night temperatures, while daytime highs struggled to cross 27 °C. The sharp contrast indicates persistent cloud cover and sustained rainfall activity. Forecasts warned of continued rain with gusty winds reaching up to 50 km/h. Thunderstorms, accompanied by lightning, were expected, particularly in the northern and eastern parts of the city. The IMD has placed Telangana under an active rain alert extending into early next week. On Friday, moderate showers with occasional heavy spells were forecast for Hyderabad, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Ranga Reddy and adjoining districts. Northern and central Telangana — including Nirmal, Nizamabad, Warangal, Mahbubabad and Sangareddy — are likely to face heavy to very heavy rainfall through Saturday and Sunday, with gusts of 40–50 km/h. A low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal is driving the moisture surge.
