Hyderabad: Hyderabad is not ready for the upcoming monsoon, as works that were proposed to address urban flooding are yet to be completed.
Going by data from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and commissioner and director of municipal administration (CDMA), the Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP) works, which were taken up to revamp the stormwater drain network in and around the city, are incomplete. The work of desilting nalas is also moving at a snail’s pace.
The completion of these works — SNDP and desilting of nalas — will have a positive impact on preventing urban flooding, according to GHMC engineers.
Under the SNDP, 58 works were proposed with an estimated cost of Rs 985.45 crore. Among them, 37 are under GHMC limits. Of these, five major works including the ones on the Hussainsagar nala and the Balkapur nala can prevent flooding in dozens of colonies and low-lying areas in the central part of the city are yet to be completed.
Similarly, over 10 out of 21 works are yet to be completed in the urban local bodies (ULBs) outside GHMC limits. The works were done by Badangpet and Nizampet municipal corporations and Jalpally and Kompally municipalities.
According to GHMC data, desilting of 952.71 km of nalas was proposed this year, with an expenditure of Rs 56.38 crores. However, the quantity to be desilted was 3,85,090.82 cubic metres with the quantity to be carted out being 2,42,980 cubic metres. The length of nala desilted was 485 km and the quantity desilted was 2,10,508.28 cubic metres.
In addition to these two works, a visit to a few busy stretches in the city revealed that the Comprehensive Road Maintenance Programme (CRMP) agencies in the GHMC had closed many water exit outlets on either side of the roads and flyovers. These outlets drain water into the stormwater drains, and not clearing them indicated poor monsoon preparedness.
Panjagutta flyover, the road in front of Telangana Assembly, and the stretch connecting Jubilee Hills checkpost to Madhapur were some of the places where the outlets to drain out water were closed by these agencies.
However, the GHMC officials said that they have in place monsoon emergency teams and the SNDP works at some places were delayed due to land acquisition issues. Similarly, the CDMA officials also cited court cases and land acquisition issues that delayed the SNDP works.
