Worst rains in 20 years brought on by a weather system coming in from the east coast wreaked havoc in Hyderabad and several parts of Telangana, killing at least 13 people and throwing life out of gear. Power supply was disrupted for up to 10 hours in several areas of Hyderabad causing hardships to citizens.

The State Government declared a two-day holiday, on Wednesday and Thursday, to help people recoup and return to normal life.

Rainfall of 20-32 cm battered several parts of the State, flooding national highways and disrupting traffic along vast stretches. Many rivers, including the Krishna, were in spate.

Hyderabad’s roads turned into rivulets, flooding low-lying areas and stranding thousands of people. Many cars and two-wheelers were swept away. The IT industry reported at least 10 per cent disruption in work on Tuesday night as employees working from home were hit by power outages.

“Power has, however, been restored. Since over 95 per cent of the employees are working from home, there’s not much of a disruption in terms of hours lost in traffic,” Bharani Kumar Aroll, President, Hyderabad Software Enterprises’ Association, told BusinessLine .

The extensive rain across the State caused damage to agriculture too. Paddy, cotton and red gram in vast areas faced damage as crops were submerged. “It is too early to assess the extent of the damage,” a senior Agriculture Department official has said.