Monsoon to set in soon; GHMC yet to desilt nalas, drains

Hyderabad: A month-and-a-half before the Southwest Monsoon sets in, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is yet to begin 157 works relating to de-silting of nalas and storm-water drains.

This year the corporation, as part of its monsoon action plan, took up the work at a cost of Rs 112.25 crore, including improvement of the storm water drainage system (SWS), development of surplus lakes, water bodies, and tanks under the Strategic Development Programme (SNDP).

The GHMC has identified 371 de-silting works in all 30 GHMC circles. Of them, 211 works on. There is no clarity when they would be completed as 157 are yet to begin.

According to GHMC officials, for 371 works, Rs 56.31 crore has been sanctioned. Of them, 211 works, costing Rs 31.96 crore, are in progress. For 157 works, costing Rs 23.98 crore, are yet to be started. Except in the Charminar zone, in other five zones, more than 50 per cent works are yet to commence.

Last year's floods caused a heavy loss of life and property after which the GHMC, along with Hyderabad and Cyberabad Police Commissionerates, identified more than 300 water stagnation points and 350 road vulnerable points in the GHMC limits. But till now only temporary measures have been taken; no permanent solutions were found to resolve the problem.

Social activist and founder of Hakku Initiative Kota Neelima said taking a few temporary measures will not help, as the previous year's rain experience shows that nalas and lakes were overflowing due to no maintenance by the civic body. Only a permanent solution would avoid overflowing during the monsoon.

She said several roads have been dug up by the GHMC to carry out work but it is yet completed. Nalas are still witnessing tonnes of waste being dumped. This may trigger overflowing of nalas during the monsoon causing water-logging.