HYDERABAD: Residents of Musi Nagar in Chaderghat were visibly tense as the Musi River swelled due to incessant rains, inconveniencing commuters, inundating major areas of the city and displacing families. Triggered by heavy inflows released from twin reservoirs upstream, the deluge on Saturday submerged roads and houses.
By afternoon, floodwaters surged six feet above the Chaderghat low-level bridge and 10 feet above the Moosarambagh bridge, cutting off critical road connectivity. Officials informed that the completed spans of Moosarambagh bridge had not suffered any damage and clarified that only the centering between P1 and P2 piers was washed away due to the flood flow.
Around 170 families were affected in the cluster, many of whom were shifted to an Anganwadi centre for shelter. “We were informed just one hour before the water entered our house. By 7 pm, our house was knee-deep in water. We thought it would go down, but it kept rising until everything was gone,” said Sumati, who was crammed along with other residents at the shelter.
“We only came here with the clothes we were wearing. All our clothes, utensils and furniture are inside, soaked and destroyed. Our belongings, TV, fridge and even our children’s books are gone. We bought everything with our savings and EMIs. It was all washed away in hours,” she added.
For Shamin Sultana, the ordeal is compounded by unfulfilled promises. “Last year, when floods hit, we were promised Indiramma houses. They told us we would get them by August 15. Till today, there is nothing. We are still living in unsafe houses built with our life savings. We can’t leave because we own them, but every year the water returns. This time, people even saw snakes entering homes. Some said a crocodile was spotted nearby.”