Safety plan soon to prevent urban areas from flooding

Hyderabad: Worried about the safety of people in the urban habitation following the submergence of colonies in many municipalities due to recent heavy rains, the State Government is ready to bring out an ‘Urban Safety Plan’ soon.

Taking serious note of the submergence of several colonies, the government will study the main reasons behind the vulnerable living conditions in the municipalities developed by the previous BRS government.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who took a serious view on the flood damages which played havoc on the lives of people in the municipalities particularly Khammam municipal Corporation which bore the brunt, has taken up the exercise to study the reasons for submergence.

Kodad, Huzurnagar, and Suryapet municipalities were inundated due to the overflow of lakes and ponds located around the town.

The safety of people in the low-lying areas and slums caused major concern for the government. Top officials said that a report of the compilation of the data regarding the encroachment of lakes, ponds, and water bodies and the construction of buildings in the FTL and buffer zones in all Municipal bodies will be prepared first.

The information about the existence of the lakes and other water bodies in the urban local bodies before the formation of the Telangana state and the present status would form the crucial data for plans to make the municipalities a safe place to live even during the heavy rains. The main cause of submergence the government feels was constructions in the catchment areas of the lakes and in some cases water bodies which were encroached upon.

Official sources said that the big challenge before the government is to create a new ecosystem to help prevent floods in the municipal colonies and protect the lives and structures from damage.

The Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) wing will prepare a report and then discuss it with the Chief Minister and based on it, the government is likely to decide to bring HYDRA in those districts and demolish all illegal structures in the FTL and buffer zones.