HYDERABAD: The heavy rainfall which occurred in the city on Monday, September 27, 2021, due to Cyclone Gulab has caused inundation in several low-lying areas. Residents living in flood-prone areas are facing severe inconveniences as they had no other option than to wade through stagnated water, whenever they venture out of their houses. A few of them even spent their Monday night clearing out the water which had flowed into their houses.
In Dammaiguda, water from the nearby lake had flown into the streets, causing the water to reach a height of two feet. Residents of LSR Colony and Anjanadri Nagar were particularly miffed as apart from the rainwater, the polluted water from Jawahar Nagar is also entering their colonies. K Srinivas Sharma, a colony welfare body member of Anjanadri Nagar, said that since 2019, whenever, it rains heavily, water from Dammaiguda lake gushes into the localities. “As if this is not enough, polluted water from the dumping yard gets mixed with rainwater and flows onto these colonies and makes situation terrible for residents,” he said.
According to him, close to 1,000 houses are affected in Dammaiguda due to the improper pipeline system. “The government has sanctioned Rs 2 crore for a 1,500-meter long pipeline for the free flow of water. We request the authorities to immediately take up the works to avoid inconvenience to residents,” he added. A resident of Anjanadri Nagar, Balaram, said that they were unable to step out of home on Monday night as the intensity of water flow was quite heavy. This apart, the polluted water is giving out a foul stench and also giving rise to mosquito menace in the locality, he added.
The situation is no different in Shirdi Sai Nagar in East Anandbagh as several lanes have turned into pools, forcing many to stay indoors. Water from Bandh Cheruvu is directly flowing into this area and the existing drainage system is unable to manage the increased water flow. However, to tackle this situation, the GHMC has been constructing a box drain to let out the free-flowing floodwater. A resident Mahesh said that there was no place for him to sleep as water entered his house. “I was cleaning my house for the whole night as the water kept entering the rooms. Last year too, the same kind of situation took place,” he said.
EVACUATION ALONG MUSI KEPT ON STANDBY
The GHMC, Revenue Department and the police are monitoring the situation closely. If water levels rise further, all residents living on the banks of Musi would be immediately evacuated and shifted to nearby community halls and function halls, as per the Water Board’s instructions.