HYDERABAD: Even as heavy rains lashed Khammam and other districts for the second consecutive day, residents of Hyderabad heaved a sigh of relief as only moderate rainfall was witnessed in the city, with Malakpet recording 46.8 mm on Sunday.
However, roads wore a deserted look with people preferring not to venture out but stay indoors on Sunday. Several business establishments and shops remained closed in the city. Trees were uprooted in some localities and branches fell on roads in several others. However, the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection Agency sprang into action to clear most of the roads by 7 pm.
The agency managed to address as many as 24 complaints with regard to water inundation and 105 out of a total of 115 complaints on uprooted trees.
HYDRAA Commissioner
AV Ranganath conducted inspections in Shaikpet, Tolichowki and Begumpet and advised officials to ensure that rain water does not stagnate in the areas. Residents of several areas, including East Marredpally, Bowenpally, Manikonda and Rajendranagar, complained of power disruptions.
In several areas, including Brahamanwada (Begumpet), LB Nagar police station, Narsapur ‘X’ Roads (Moosapet), Gachibowli, Taranagar (Jubilee Hills) and Khairtabad market, rain water got stagnated.
The outsourced GHMC workers, who were pumping out the clogged water under the Lakdikapul Metro station, said “This is a low-lying area that is why water keeps clogging here time and again.”
Meanwhile, many, including auto-rickshaw drivers, shopowners and street vendors, pointed out that their work took a hit owing to the consistent downpour.
Around 2 pm, Syed Fariuddin was pushing his CNG auto at Himayathnagar with the help of a passerby. “Usually till this time, I pick up around seven to eight passengers but today it just has been three to four,” he lamented.
Speaking to TNIE, Sunnala Raju, a constable at the Traffic police station, said: “Being Sunday, traffic was less. Since the city experienced moderate rains, there is no water stagnation. Otherwise, there would have been heavy traffic jam.”
“It’s good that tomorrow (Monday) is a holiday for students. But government offices, private sector and other establishments will be functioning. If rains continue, then there will be traffic jams all over the city,” he added.
Business affected
Shaikh Manzar Ali, who works at a popular restaurant in Somajiguda, said, “The number of customers we get has dropped considerably today. There was also no significant increase in online orders.”
Despite rains, a few vendors set up their carts at Hussainsagar. Sona Kumar, who was busy arranging his cart, said: “The owner has asked me to put up the bandi. Even if the rains increase, the cart will be here.”
“After all, it is important for my livelihood. I have to pay room rent and other expenses,” remarked Kumar, who hails from Bihar.
A delivery executive with an online food aggregator said, “Rain has caused delay in delivery of orders.”
For the GHMC sanitation workers, dealing with the wet trash was a major challenge. “Picking up cotton is hard as it gets heavy in the rain. Moreover, brooming the road gets harder as it gets sticky and does not pick up trash easily,” a worker in Nampally said.
Reduced bus services
Officials of the TGSRTC told TNIE that around 2,850 buses used to be operated every Sunday but they were reduced by 200 this Sunday owing to less flow of commuters. During the day, several buses ran at a much less capacity than the normal days. As the intensity of rain reduced towards the evening, people ventured out to visit tourist hotspots like Hussainsagar to enjoy “pleasant weather.”