Rain drowns Hyderabad; GHMC's monsoon preparedness falls flat
At least 50 houses were flooded as a result of the Banda Cheruvu lake bed breaking down.
Hyderabad: Heavy rains in the early hours of Thursday put on display the city's unpreparedness for the monsoon. The south-west monsoons are round the corner, but nine cm of pre-monsoon rainfall was sufficient to disrupt normal life in the city.
The known points of waterlogging haven’t been tackled yet, and already the city was witness to many new spots that remained under water until late afternoon on Thursday.
The stretch from Hitech City to Hafeezpet was inundated. Areas such as Sheesh Mahal Theatre Road and Ameerpet were flooded because no desilting had been carried out. The Lalapet Nala overflowed, and water from the Banda Cherruvu flowed into the colonies of Anand Bagh.
At least 50 houses were flooded as a result of the Banda Cheruvu lake bed breaking down. Lake water gushed into colonies in Shirdi Sai Nagar and Anand Bagh. The water stagnated there for hours, with no channel for it to flow out, and the entire area experienced a power blackout. The construction of colonies all around the lake has left no room for the water to seep out. Officials have marked this land as Full Tank Level (FTL).
Because of the overflowing of Lalapet and Begumbazar Nalas, the flow of traffic was halted in many areas, including Osmangunj, Gowliguda, CBS Bus Stand, and near the Musi River. It was found that structures constructed over the nalas had hindered the desilting process.
The GHMC is said to have spent Rs 27.84 crore on its monsoon action plan. It claims to have completed 300 monsoon-related works, employing 48 teams working round-the-clock to fill potholes, 121 teams to install pumps and trim trees, and 19 central emergency teams. But the effects were nowhere to be seen on Thursday. Waterlogging continues to pose a problem at critical locations such as the CM’s Camp Office, NIMS, Khairatabad, Ranga Mahal, Ameerpet, Bathukamma Kunta, the exhibition grounds, and Oliphanta Bridge.
Rainwater was found to be falling forcefully from cracks in the flyovers and holes in the Metro Rail viaducts. The Somajiguda Bridge was flooded at both ends, and major waterlogging was recorded at Tank Bund, Babbuguda Railway Bridge, and the Metro Station in GHMC ward 115. On the Begumpet Flyover, a large pump had to be used to draw water out. Personnel from the Secunderabad Fire Station showed up to help.