Hyderabad: Rain drenches city, driving dwellers to scurry for safety

Hyderabad: With heavy rain in the catchment areas of Osmansagar and Himayatsagar and rainwater trickling in large volumes into such areas, flood gates of two reservoirs were lifted on Thursday. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) along with Disaster Response Force (DRF) issued a high alert to low-lying areas, especially those located on the Musi riverbank.

As more water discharge is likely from the two reservoirs and to avoid any untoward incident, people residing the downstream all along the Musi, specially in Chaderghat and Moosarambagh, have been shifted to temporary shelter homes set up by the civic body.

Meanwhile, following forecast by the Met department of heavy rainfall in the GHMC area, on the orders of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) department, a special officer has been appointed for each of the inundated areas and colonies.

According to GHMC Zonal Commissioner V Mamata, the special officers will take all preventive measures and vacate the inhabitants staying either in the ground, first, or upper floors of buildings and shift them to nearby relief camps. To attend to the emergency services during heavy rain in the Moosapet circle, 22 special officers have been appointed. They have been allotted each flood-prone area. They will also provide essential services to affected people.

The nodal officers have also been asked to co-ordinate with the special officers in shifting inhabitants to nearby relief camps and ensure water, food, blankets and other facilities. GHMC relief camps have been set up in schools, community halls and function halls in low-lying areas include in Balaji Nagar ward of GHMC - Habeeb Nagar, Power Nagar, Shakthi Nagar, Raghavendra Colony, in Allapur ward - Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Safdar Nagar, Aziz Nagar, Rama Rao Nagar, Padmavathi Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, Jyothi Nagar, in Moosapet ward - Babbuguda, Kabeer Nagar, and in in Fateh Nagar ward in Prabhakar Reddy Nagar, Zinkalwada, High Flats Bharath Nagar, Deendayal Nagar, Smatha Nagar, Nagarjuna Nagar, Ashaya Enclave, Shobana Colony, Goutham Nagar, Amruth Thanda, Pipe Line road and Shiva Shankar Colony.

The Town Planning wing was directed to identify dilapidated structures and vacate residents and shift them to relief camps. More facilities like mobile toilets at the relief camps and disinfection and special sanitation measures are to be taken up in low-lying areas.

SEVERAL HOUSES INUNDATED

Several houses in low-lying areas across the city were inundated. As houses and basements were flooded, while many residential areas remained cut off from main roads in MS Maqta (Somajiguda), Kodanadaram Nagar (LB Nagar), Ahmed Colony, Virasat Nagar, Prem Nagar and Anand Nagar (Moosarambagh, Shyamlal Building (Begumpet), Indira Nagar (Ramanthapur) and Kishanbagh.

In some areas, waterlogging was so severe that entry to houses was inaccessible, forcing residents to stay indoors. Several basements and parking lots were also filled with rainwater.

With basements, bylanes and roads inundated, the affected people of low-lying areas were seen shifting valuables and vehicles to safer locations.

Some residents expressed their dissatisfaction over the State government neglecting water-logged lanes. They said a permanent solution for low-lying areas was the need of the hour.

Said Mohammed Muneer of MS Maqta, "our entire front yard and backyard of the house was filled with rainwater. Water seeped into rooms as well.

With no option left, and there was nothing we could do, my family had to temporarily seek shelter at a neighbour's house, located on the first floor.

Later, civic authorities came with motor pumps and our family finally returned home after four hours."

Meanwhile, residents of Panjagutta, Old Bowenpally, Khairtabad, Lingojiguda, Uppal and near NIMS also faced water stagnation leading to traffic jams. In a few areas commuters too faced problems.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials ordered use of motors to clear water at stagnation points in Somajiguda. They were also seen using motors.

GHMC Commissioner D S Lokesh Kumar held a video conference with the zonal commissioners (ZCs). He instructed them to take all measures immediately to avoid inconvenience to people, while asking them to be on field. Kumar also asked the officials to keep an eye on lakes and low-lying areas.

Mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi alerted the Disaster Response Force (DRF) teams to clear water stagnation points. She asked them to be alert, as there may be chances of heavy rain in the city.

Deputy Mayor Mothe Srilatha visited the Ayyappa Society at Nagole as people were facing problems with rainwater entering their houses. She ordered officials to take immediate necessary action and focus mainly on box drains, sewage issue and nalas. The GHMC officials said their teams were on field to clear water stagnation and monitoring the ground level situation.

According to the Telangana State Development Planning Society (TSDPS) on Thursday the highest rainfall (in mm) of 23.5 was recorded in Santoshnagar, followed by Chandanagar 22.8,

Patancheruvu 20, Mehdipatnam 19.5, Seri Lingampally 17.3, LB Nagar 17.3, Jubilee Hills 15.3, Moosapet 15, Begumpet 16.5, Hayathnagar 16, Srinagar Colony 15.

PLANS IN ACTION...

♥ MA&UD appoints special officer for each inundated area

♥ Officials asked to identify weak structures and vacate people immediately to relief camps

♥ Residents move valuables and vehicles to safer locations

♥ Several basements and parking lots were filled with rainwater