Tit-for-tat: As people occupy water bodies, water finds its way to residential areas

During the recent spell of rain, several houses in Gandipet, Janwada village and Manchiervula, and structures on both sides of the Kokapet-Narsingi road, the Osmansagar road, and Shankarpally road were inundated. Several of these places are still under water.

According to locals, these places were inundated only after commercial activity increased in the vicinity of the Osmansagar. People were forced to wade through the waterlogged Kokapet-Narsingi roads. Water entered the cellars and people were unable to park their vehicles even outside the buildings.

Commuters said these areas have no infrastructure in spite of people paying taxes. “Due to this new construction near the Kokapet lake and its nala, the Kokapet-Narsingi road is getting waterlogged. This never happened earlier,” said Alok Bharadwaj at Kokapet.

Residents of Gandipet village said that many people from their village have purchased motor pumps to pump out the water. “We have been living here for decades. For the first time, we have purchased pump motors to drain out water from houses and its premises,” said a senior citizen from the village.

According to officials of the irrigation department, the Kokapet road was waterlogged as the nala near Kokapet lake was encroached and Gandipet village was inundated because a nala at Vattinagulapally was encroached upon.

“Apart from these, the dozens of encroachments in the Osamansagar’s full tank level and buffer zone have reduced the holding capacity of the water body, resulting in houses being inundated,” he said.

Locals and officials of HMWS&SB confirmed that these areas are not waterlogged because the two gates of Osmansagar and one gate of Himayatsagar were kept open to drain out water to the low lying areas of the river Musi.