After Cyclone Montha, Telangana Faces Floods, Railway Disruptions and Mass Rescues

Cyclone Montha has left deep imprints on Telangana, bringing persistent heavy rain after crossing the Andhra Pradesh coast and weakening into a deep depression over north Andhra Pradesh and adjoining Telangana. The storm’s aftermath has been widely felt, with communities struggling as water levels surge.

Relentless downpours since early Wednesday swamped low-lying settlements, ruined standing crops and severed road links in many places. Railway lines at Warangal and Dornakal were submerged, forcing cancellations and rerouting of trains. Districts reporting serious impacts include Warangal, Hanamkonda, Mulugu, Mahabubabad, Jayashankar Bhupalapally, Nalgonda, Siddipet, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Sircilla and Nagarkurnool.

Some rainfall figures were staggering: Bheemdevarapalle in Hanamkonda recorded 41.9 cm in about 13 hours. Other heavy totals were registered at Kallada (36.7 cm), Urus (34.3 cm) and Redlawada (33.9 cm) in Warangal district, and Dharmasagar (33.28 cm) in Hanamkonda. The Telangana Development Planning Society said 35 sites reported more than 20.5 cm of rain, while 68 locations saw over 11.5 cm.

The India Meteorological Department issued red warnings for Jangaon, Warangal, Hanamkonda, Mahabubabad, Siddipet, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Karimnagar and Sircilla, and orange alerts for Adilabad, Nirmal, Asifabad, Mancherial, Jagtiyal, Peddapalli and Bhupalapally.

Transport and daily life were badly hit. At Warangal Railway Station, services including the Vijayawada Intercity Express and East Coast Express were stopped, while Dornakal station in Mahabubabad faced similar disruptions. Streets in Hanamkonda town lay under water and the local bus station resembled a shallow lake.

There were harrowing rescue scenes across districts: in Khammam a DCM vehicle was swept away near the Nimmavagu stream, a man in Vikarabad was pulled to safety from the Kagna river, and in Nalgonda around 500 students at a government residential school in Kommapalli village were trapped as nearby water levels rose rapidly.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has ordered the state to remain on high alert, directing officials to move residents from vulnerable, low-lying pockets into relief camps. The State Irrigation Department is monitoring reservoirs and river levels closely, with sandbags placed at overflowing waterbodies. SDRF and NDRF teams are actively conducting rescue and relief operations across the affected areas.

Authorities are urging people to stay cautious: avoid wading into floodwaters, follow evacuation orders, and cooperate with rescue personnel as Telangana contends with the continuing impacts of Cyclone Montha and the heavy rains that remain a threat.