HYDERABAD: Anger was writ large on the faces of flood-affected residents of Hanuman Nagar in Tattianaram, Kodandaram Nagar in Saroornagar and several colonies in Jillelguda. Grief-stricken, they are venting their ire at people’s representatives and civic body officials for paying no heed to their ordeal caused by the heavy rains over the last few days.
“We have not had a wink of sleep in the last five days as the floodwater that has entered our colony has not receded yet. The swirling waters invaded us from Auto Nagar via Godha Cheruvu and we helplessly watched on as it wreaked havoc,” said Srinivas Rao, who has been residing at Hanuman Nagar for the last 15 years.
When Express visited the locality on Sunday, September 5, 2021, Hanuman Nagar reverberated with cries for help. The residents were cursing politicians out of sheer desperation and frustration. The streets had disappeared under a sheet of water and the colony bore the look of a vast waterbody. A majority of the houses were inundated with 3-4 ft of rainwater. Groceries were spoilt beyond use and house articles were either lost or damaged. Women, who were moving out of the colony to safer places, were seen dangerously wading through the floodwater.
Recurring nightmare
The flood problem in the locality has been a regular occurrence for the past 2-3 years as the rainwater from the nearby Auto Nagar is let out into the colony. After the heavy rains last month, some 18 families had moved to safer localities.“We had brought this issue to the attention of Ibrahimpatnam MLA Manchireddy Kishan Reddy. He had assured to move the upper pipelines to a lower level so that water could flow easily. However, none of his assurances has come through,” said Srinivas Rao.
Another resident Kushal Deshmukh said that the sluices had collapsed and that there was a need to lay new sluices for letting the water out of the colony. “If this is not done on priority, there are chances of the stagnant water becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes that can cause malaria, dengue and other diseases,” he added.
“We had met the officials concerned as well as the elected representatives, demanding measures to drain out the water. They still have not taken any action. There is no humanity left in them,” a 70-year-old woman lamented. “If the same problem had occurred at an elected representative’s house, it would have been rectified immediately,” she added.
Two other localities hit
The situation was more or less the same in Jillelguda and Karmanghat with a large volume of water from Jillelguda tank invading the two localities. Residents, who were seen wading through the floodwater, were angry at the official machinery for failing to prevent the problem even though a similar plight had prevailed during the 2020-floods. “Due to inflows from upstream tanks, Jillelguda and Karmanghat are flooded, causing untold hardships to the public,” said Rajmohan, a Karmanghat resident.