Rain paralyses life in Hyderabad

Heavy overnight rainfall resulted in a flood-like situation in many parts of Hyderabad, throwing life out of gear.

On Wednesday morning, several colonies in Kukatpally, Tolichowki, Shaikpet, Miyapur, Alwal, Quthbullapur and Malkajgiri were inundated, with some areas receiving 15.6 cm of rainfall. The knee-deep water confined residents to their homes as streets looked like canals.

No casualties were reported during the deluge. Breached water bodies like the Turka Cheruvu, Miyapur Cheruvu, Chikkadpally and Nallakunta drains flooded roads and  shopping complexes and carried away parked vehicles for several kilometres.

The Nizampet area was the worst effected as the flood water from Turka Cheruvu entered the cellars of almost all apartment complexes. With no way to pump the water out, thousands of families were stuck inside their homes without power supply. Areas under the Ganesh Nagar drain like Ayodhyanagar, Dwarkanagar, Subhash Nagar and Devendra Nagar, Surraram, Chintal, Venkateshwara Nagar, Sudarshan Nagar, Bhagatsinh Nagar and Maruti Nagar were flooded.

In Quthbullapur Circle, which received the maximum rainfall, the Vennalagadda tank breached and flooded several colonies. Traffic came to a standstill between Quthbullapur and Secunderabad as the main roads were flooded.

A holiday was declared for private and government schools in parts of the city. In all, 220 teams were pressed into service by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to clear water-logging in Afzal Sagar, Habeeb Nagar in Mallepally and in Red Hills. A huge crater was formed in front of the Telangana secretariat after a part of the main road caved in. The road had to be closed, leading to traffic snarls.  Heavy traffic congestion was witnessed in almost all parts of the city, particularly the Mumbai highway.

The Hussain Sagar Lake, brimming with flood water from the catchment areas, has become a cause for concern.   The GHMC is concerned about the slow outflow of only 2,500 cusecs, while the inflow is 5,000 cusecs. “The debris from the recent Ganesh ‘nimajjanam’ accumulated as the flood flow gates choked the outflow,” said GHMC commissioner Janarthana Reddy, who inspected the lake. The commissioner issued an advisory to residents living in dilapidated houses to vacate and move to safer places.