Hyderabad: High-rises add to waterlogging woes

Hyderabad: First they axed a tree, then they laid a new road. Now, the area has turned into a site that sees major waterlogging. This is the fate of the Masjid Banda road in Gachibowli where builders of an apartment project have laid a road leading to the project site, adjacent to the old one but at a higher level. Every time there’s a downpour, the rainwater slides off the new road and accumulates on the old one. The Masjid Banda road connects Old Mumbai Highway with Kothaguda.

“The area never had drainage issues earlier, because the soil absorbed the extra water. With the two roads at different levels, the rainwater from the higher road collects on the old road, creating waterlogging. The unevenness of the roads is the main problem,” said Masjid Banda resident, Shashank Shekhar.

The builders, Aparna Group, whose project will have over 200 houses, opted for the hasty laying of road just before the monsoon. An oral complaint has been given by the SBI station department’s office against the contractor of the road as the waterlogged area leads to the entrance of their office.

“They haven’t left any space for drainage and neither have they dug storm water drains. The contractor hasn’t responded to the multiple complaints made to him”, said a senior official from the office.

A month ago, a large tree was axed on the same road, remains of which can still be seen. According to residents, the tree was in the path of the dividers. So instead of going around, they just chopped it off. The apartment project manager has asked for two weeks as it’s a major road.

The new road did ease traffic congestion on the  Masjid Banda area but the happiness was short-lived. As soon as the rains started, waterlogging converted the whole area into a huge mess.