HYDERABAD: A torrential downpour on Friday evening left Hyderabad and Secunderabad struggling under severe waterlogging, paralysed traffic, and widespread disruption across several parts of the city. The rains, which began in the late afternoon and intensified into the night, inundated roads and colonies, submerged low-lying neighbourhoods, and brought evening commutes to a standstill.
Large stretches of arterial roads were rendered impassable, as vehicles crawled through waist-deep water in some areas or remained stuck for hours. Commuters were stranded across key junctions including Gachibowli, Madhapur, Lakdi-ka-pul, Punjagutta, Raidurg, Miyapur, Kukatpally, Tarnaka, LB Nagar and Uppal. The impact was especially acute during peak office hours, with long tailbacks reported on thoroughfares connecting the IT corridor to residential zones.
Rainwater gushed into cellars of several commercial and residential buildings. In localities such as Masab Tank, Ayyappa Society, Gajularamaram, Hafizpet and Hitech City, HYDRAA’s control room was inundated with distress calls. Emergency response teams were deployed to manage the situation, with Disaster Response Force (DRF) and monsoon emergency teams pressed into service.
In one of the worst-affected pockets, the Patny Nala overflowed, submerging neighbouring colonies. At Prenderghast Road and Sindhi Colony, rescue teams deployed boats to shift residents who were trapped inside their homes. HYDRAA Commissioner AV Ranganath carried out inspections by boat and supervised relief efforts.
Locals allege that repeated flooding in the Patny Nala region could have been avoided. Though widening works had been taken up, these were reportedly stalled due to opposition from a house owner. “We face this every year. The problem hasn’t been solved because the nala remains narrow at the bottleneck,” said a resident of Sindhi Colony.
Meanwhile, the Bathukamma Kunta lake in Amberpet, currently being restored by HYDRAA, received a large volume of stormwater, with locals observing that the tank was helping avoid flooding in the immediate low-lying areas.
Throughout the evening, traffic police and municipal staff issued alerts urging people to avoid unnecessary travel. Emergency personnel were stationed at flood-prone junctions to assist stranded motorists and redirect traffic. In several places, power outages compounded the disruption.
The highest rainfall in the city was recorded at 114.8 mm in Maredpally, followed by 114.5 mm in Balanagar, 101.3 mm in Uppal, 97 mm in Bandlaguda and 90.5 mm in Musheerabad.