HYDERABAD: The heavy rains that lashed the city for the past few days have thrown life out of gear while causing flooding in the Railway under Bridges (RuB). At the Lingampally RuB, the water level reached up to three feet on Saturday night, forcing commuters to wade through the water. The water remained stagnant till the morning hours on Sunday.
Many roads in the city have witnessed stagnation and crippled vehicular movement. TSRTC buses passing through this bridge had the water reaching up to the steps on the entry door, while two-wheelers found it almost impossible to cross the under bridge. Later on Sunday, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) swung into action and cleared the water.
Apart from this, the subway, which is meant for pedestrians, has turned into a nala after water gushed into it following heavy rainfall. With this, the pedestrians had no way to use the subway. Commuters complained that the government should come up with a permanent solution to end waterlogging at the Lingampally RuB, as it gets flooded each time there is rainfall, just like many other RuBs in the city.
“I have been frequently travelling to Lingampally via this under bridge for the last three years. When it rains, I have to think thrice before taking this route as it becomes risky to cross it during the night wading through the stagnant water. Last night, while I was returning from my office, water level reached up to my seat,” said Raj Kumar, a commuter passing through this route. The situation was no different at the Malakpet RuB as inundation had put many passersby in severe inconvenience. Many vehicles got stuck under the bridge after water entered the engines of the vehicles, wherein, commuters, with the help of the public, crossed the flooded area.
“The civic body has to work in order to make the RuBs free from water stagnation which happens every time it rains. A few years back, the Oliphant Railway over Bridge at the Secunderabad railway station used to regularly witness water stagnation. However, after the underground storm and bituminous roads, the conditions have improved. Officials have to replicate the same at all the RuBs,” said Sathish Reddy, a commuter.