HYDERABAD: By Thursday morning, traffic moved smoothly through the Balkampet underpass, with little sign of the floodwaters that had turned deadly just hours earlier. But for locals, the memory of 27-year-old Mohammad Sharfuddin’s drowning still weighed heavily.
Sharfuddin, a resident of Musheerabad, was returning home from his office in Balanagar late Wednesday night when he entered the waterlogged underpass around 11 pm. His electric bike overturned, and he was swept away by the gushing current. Though locals reportedly pulled him out within 15 minutes, he had already died.
“The water came, seemed to recede and then suddenly rose again,” recalled Sheikh Amir, who runs a general store near the underpass. “Three police constables were warning people, but there were no barricades. One delivery agent was stopped from crossing, but Sharfuddin thought the water wasn’t much and went in. The water was neck-deep, and he couldn’t breathe.”
For residents, the tragedy was not unexpected. Amir said flooding at the underpass is a yearly occurrence, as rainwater from Begumpet, SR Nagar, Balkampet, and surrounding areas rushes into the low-lying stretch. “Last year, even a bus was completely submerged here,” he said.
On Thursday, HYDRAA workers were seen operating pumping motors that had broken down during the night. “We started in the morning. Two motors failed, but we repaired them and continued the work,” one worker said. The machines, he explained, draw out rainwater that collects in the underpass and discharges it into nearby drainage channels. Their failure had delayed the operation for several hours. “Once the motors were fixed, the water cleared quickly,” he added.
The underpass may now look normal, but residents say the danger still lurks. “Every year, we face this. Unless there is a permanent solution, this will keep happening,” Amir said.