HYDERABAD: The GHMC commissioner B Janardhan Reddy on Friday revealed that the reason behind the frequent flooding in Punjagutta was the Jalagam Vengal Rao Park, which was built in place of Enugula Kunta lake.
“The establishment of Jalagam Vengal Rao Park in Banjara Hills in 2002 was a mistake that has resulted in the frequent inundation of Punjagutta area all through the monsoon season,” said Reddy. “The park, which was earlier the Enugula Kunta lake, used to hold stormwater coming from Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills during heavy rains.
However, the water is now flowing downhill towards Panjagutta resulting in its inundation. It settles down at Model House in Punjagutta causing inconvenience to the locals,” he explained. The decision to build a park across the 10-acre water body was made following a ten-year dry spell. “Such a hasty decision should have been reviewed,” Reddy said.
Relief expected this season
Explaining further, R Sridhar, Chief Engineer, GHMC (projects) said “Only one small underground pipe was used as an outlet for water in Model House area. Now, we have built an additional two-meter wide pipeline to cater only to the major stream of water coming from the park area,” Sridhar said.
‘No guarantees’
B Janardhan Reddy said that he could not assure MAUD minister KT Rama Rao that water stagnation could be avoided this year. “The minister asked me if I can assure him that there would be no stagnation points but I had to say ‘No’ because I cannot help if nature misbehaves,” he explained.