HYDERABAD: With the monsoon arriving over two weeks early and continuous rains lashing the city, residents of Greater Hyderabad are likely to experience difficulties as desilting of stormwater drains and nalas remains incomplete. As of now, only about 68% of the work has been finished.
In the Khairatabad zone, which includes five GHMC Circles — Jubilee Hills, Mehdipatnam, Goshamahal, Khairatabad and Karwan — about 54% of desilting work has been completed. This is followed by 65% in the Serilingampally zone (Chandanagar, Serilingampally, Yousufguda, RC Puram-Patancheru circles) and the Secunderabad zone (Begumpet, Malkajgiri, Musheerabad, Amberpet) at 69%.
The slow pace of work is worrisome, considering that last year’s heavy rains left many areas waterlogged and several low-lying localities submerged due to blocked drains choked with silt and waste.
This year, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) identified 203 desilting works across 951 km of stormwater drains at an estimated cost of `55.04 crore. Of this, 650 km, roughly 68%, have been completed so far.
With the pace of work lagging, stormwater drains are at risk of overflowing during the monsoon, as accumulated silt and debris may obstruct the flow. Even the recent pre-monsoon showers led to widespread road inundation and traffic jams, highlighting the inefficiency of the city’s ageing drainage infrastructure.
Last year, GHMC along with the Hyderabad and Cyberabad Police Commissionerates identified over 140 critical water stagnation points and 350 vulnerable road sections. Waterlogging remains a regular issue across many city areas due to undersized drains and the dumping of garbage, plastic and other waste, which blocks the smooth flow of rainwater.