HYDERABAD: Trimulgherry and adjoining areas in the North and Eastern parts of the city which were battered by one of the historically heaviest rainfalls are struggling to return to normalcy. Water has entered homes, hospitals, police stations, shops, roads and even cellars in Lallapet, Shantinagar, NMDC colony, Mithilanagar, Jillelguda.
For NMDC colony, Adarsh Nagar and East Anandbagh it brought back horrible memories of 2017 when National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had to be called in to rescue people.
“This time the situation was slightly better but our cellar was filled with three feet water,” commented S Sridhar, president, senior citizen association, Anandbagh. Others recounted the horrifying moments faced by households, as water entered their homes and all they could do was wait for it to stop.
In the Secunderabad Cantonment area, residents claimed that while several areas were inundated on Tuesday, the SCB’s rescued team reached the people only on Wednesday morning, by when most of the damage was done.
Speaking to the Express, the SCB vice president J Rama Krishna said, “As SCB does not have a proper disaster management team, we deployed our sanitation workers -- around 18 people fro each of the eight wards-- on Wednesday morning.”
Due to the heavy rains, a portion of a road between Lotakunta & Yapral caved in, the Local Military Authority. Army personnel have taken up the repair work.
Meanwhile, officials assured that a repeat of 2017 won’t happen. “We have taken up road widening activities and reworked storm-water drains so water is receding faster,” said Shankaraiah, commissioner, Secunderabad zone.
About 70% lakes above FTL in city
About 70 per cent of the 185 lakes in the city were flowing above the Full Tank Level (FTL) after rains on Tuesday and Wednesday. This includes Safilguda, Saroornagar, Banda Cheruvu and Errakunta. Several low lying areas, especially in the inlet and outlet channels were inundated due to the same. However, GHMC’s irrigation department said there was no need to worry, as water was draining into the Musi River from various key lakes. The Hussainsagar, saw water level at 513.77 metre, which is 31 cm above FTL, with over 2,000 cusecs inflow. This, however, lowered to 513.74 metres as water from Kukatpally nala receded.