HYDERABAD: HYDRAA has removed truckloads of garbage from stormwater and sewage drains across Hyderabad as part of its monsoon desilting and cleaning drive. Officials said plastic waste, cable wires, mattresses, sofas, chairs, pillows and blankets dumped into drains were obstructing the flow of rainwater and causing flooding in several parts of the city.
According to officials, garbage accumulation in nalas and box drains has reached alarming levels. Drains designed to carry stormwater are increasingly clogged with solid waste, leading to severe waterlogging on roads and in residential colonies during heavy rainfall.
With the monsoon underway, HYDRAA has intensified drain-cleaning operations across the city. Its Disaster Response Force (DRF) and Monsoon Emergency Teams (MET) are working in coordination with the GHMC, Cyberabad Municipal Corporation, Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation, the Irrigation Department and the Police department to remove garbage and silt from major drains.
One of the largest operations is being carried out at the Agapura Nala, which channels stormwater from Mehdipatnam, Mallepally and Vijayanagar Colony into the Musi River. Near Darussalam, garbage had completely blocked floodwater flow through a culvert. Following complaints from residents, who shared photographs and videos with authorities, officials inspected the site.
Acting on the instructions of HYDRAA Commissioner AV Ranganath, officials removed a portion of the drain’s boundary wall to allow JCB machines access. Over the past six days, workers removed 13 tippers of garbage, including mattresses, sofas, chairs, pillows and large quantities of plastic waste. The remaining stretch is expected to be cleared within two days. Residents, however, said fresh waste continues to enter the drain during rains.
Another major blockage was identified in a box drain along the Miyapur–Patancheru Road, where discarded cable wires and mixed waste had nearly halted the flow of stormwater. HYDRAA deployed earthmoving equipment to clear the debris and discovered large bundles of settled cable wires that had significantly reduced the drain’s carrying capacity.
HYDRAA also cleared a blocked drain near the Chandanagar–Lingampally Railway Under Bridge (RUB), a location that frequently experiences flooding when rainfall exceeds five centimetres.
Although a box drain had been constructed under the Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP), waste accumulation beneath the underpass had prevented water from flowing into Nakkavagu. Teams removed iron grills and cleared the drain, recovering two truckloads of plastic waste from a single location.
