The Telangana government has stepped up relief measures in the erstwhile Khammam district and other rain-affected areas. Some parts of Kothagudem, Mulugu, and Ranga Reddy districts recorded heavy rain since last night. The authorities issued the first warning for floods at the temple town of Bhadrachalam as the water level in the River Godavari reached 43 ft. District collector Jitesh V. Patil asked the authorities to shift the residents of vulnerable localities at Bhadrachalam to relief camps. State IT Minister Sridhar Babu has urged the Centre to declare the rain havoc caused by heavy rains and floods in the state a national disaster. After visiting some of the flood-hit areas, he said, 14 districts in Telangana had been devastated by flash floods, leading to the loss of 16 lives and damage to crops across approximately 1.5 million acres, besides significant property damage.