Hyderabad: Hamara Paisa Kaha Gaya?

Hyderabad: With the monsoon not very far away, denizens are recalling the nightmare they experienced last year. Though the GHMC claimed to have spent Rs 67,000 crore on various developmental works, including the construction of flyovers, drains, etc, as much as Rs 1,447 crore was utilised for preventing urban flooding but the recent spell of rain on May 4 flooded more than 71 areas causing concern among denizens.

With the weather department predicting heavy rains this season too, people feel that they have tough days ahead. The areas that are facing flooding every monsoon season are Bahadurpura, Shastripuram, Chandrayangutta, Hafez Baba Nagar, Yakutpura, Mecca Colony, Ganga Nagar, Goshamahal, MS Maqta, Anand Nagar, Malkajgiri, UBI Colony in Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills Road No 2 and 10. After the unprecedented rains that led to flash floods in 2020, the State government sanctioned Rs 858 crore to the GHMC for the development and maintenance of stormwater drains and nalas.

It also announced the Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP), a dedicated project to develop stormwater and drainage systems, including the development of surplus lakes, tanks and other water bodies. But this major project, which is supposed to prevent the urban flooding, water-logging and overflowing of drains, is being counted as a big failure as there is no single area in the GHMC that has not escaped water-logging or overflowing of drains and nalas during the recent rains. Denizens want to know how and why there was heavy flooding in the city throwing life out of gear for over 12 hours after the recent downpour. It may be recalled that a portion of the Shankar Mutt – VST Junction Road also caved in due to heavy rains.

Talking to The Hans India, residents affected by the recent unexpected rains said that these are the same areas where flooding was witnessed in 2020. A resident of Venkatadri Colony in Malkajgiri, Narayan Rathore said, "For more than 10 years, we have been facing the same flooding problem every rainy season as rainwater enters our houses." He said after heavy flooding in 2020, the GHMC had built a drain under the SNDP project in the colony, the drain that should have prevented the flooding has increased the problem as the drain is built on the upper side. The low-lying areas are now facing greater flooding.

He further said that whenever it rains, the area witnesses water-logging of about 4 feet. Water enters houses and household goods like beds, furniture, vehicles and food material, etc, get damaged. MLAs and Corporators visit and promise to resolve the issue, but nothing has changed, Rathore added.

Social activist Robin said it appears that the development of stormwater drains proved to be a waste and the SNDP project a big failure even after spending crores of public money. "Hyderabad is heading towards yet another disaster as monsoon is soon approaching and the State government has failed to fix the nalas through the SNDP project, he said.

A large number of people with whom The Hans India spoke said that the GHMC should explain, "Hamara Pysa Kahan Gaya." "It's two years and still no improvement," they say.