Hyderabad: As predicted by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), rains continued to lash the city on Thursday afternoon, which had a domino effect on the traffic as usual. Afternoon showers left office goers concerned as to how they would get back home from work.
Areas like Madhapur, Hitec City on the western corridor received a strong rain-lashing similar to areas like Kapra and Dr A. S. Rao Nagar along the eastern corridor. Those who started in the afternoon at 2 o’clock were stuck in traffic for more than two hours to reach from one end to another.
“The storm water drain at Nectar Gardens is overflowing and has made its way onto the road, this is in turn slowing the traffic coming from Inorbit Mall road,” said S. Anand, a resident of Nectar Gardens.
Even Jubilee Hills resident, Vidyasagar Jagadeesan, took to social media warning people of the traffic along Jubilee Hills Road no 45, due to the rains.
Mahesh Kalahasti, an IT employee working near Hitec City, reported that traffic was exceptionally high near Raheja Mindspace, going towards Kukatpally. It was bumper-to- bumper traffic and the potholes and waterlogged roads made it difficult to drive. There was a traffic jam also at the Kolanu Raghava Reddy Gardens on the Nizampet road in the evening due to the afternoon rains.
Mrs Merlin Shah, an IT employee said, “I started from my home at 1.30 pm but got stuck in slow-moving traffic at Banjara Hills and Jubliee Hills. By the time we touched Madhapur, it was very bad as there was heavy water-logging. I reached my office only at 6 o’clock. We were a group of six in one van and that is the situation in the city which is just not acceptable. An hour of rain and the city cannot manage it.”
Water-logging was also reported at IIIT Hyderabad junction and near the Indian School of Business campus. A culvert near the University of Hyderabad collapsed while it was blocking the stormwater drain from spilling over. This had forced the GHMC to send its monsoon emergency team to stop the water from spilling onto the roads.
There was heavy water-logging in residential colonies in Uppal, L.B. Nagar and also Secunderabad. The residents in these areas, which are close to huge nalas, have already been reeling with sewage water overflowing from manholes and the afternoon rains too led to the same situation again.
Mrs Anuradha K, a resident of L.B. Nagar, explained, “The clogging of drains is every two days and this has become a routine this year. We are in the low lying areas and that is our crime.”
In Hitec City, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) had asked residents and office-goers to maintain staggered timings, as the rush could lead to massive traffic hurdles. “We had issued a heavy rainfall alert and had asked most of the IT employees to stagger their time. This was done to ensure that there is no logjam on the roads,” Hari Chandana, zonal commissioner, GHMC, said.
The St Ann’s school bus in Marredpally took close to an hour to reach Trimulgherry and anxious parents continuously called the school.
Despite the heavy rains, the lakes in the area like Kapra and R.K. Puram, have not been replenished, as residents had hoped. “There is water, water everywhere, but the Kapra and R.K. Puram lakes have still not even filled up,” said S. Chandrasekhar, a member of OSCAR (Open Secunderabad Area All Roads).
The DLR Enclave, an inlet of Kapra lake, was flooded and the manholes were overflowing with silt which spilled onto the roads.
As of 8.30 pm on Thursday. the highest rainfall was registered at Qutubullapur (64 mm) Telecom Colony, Alwal ( 51 mm) and Madhapur ( 48.5 mm).
