Hyderabad: Mayor ‘Garu’ Can You Help Us?

Hyderabad: Tarnaka is among those unfortunate colonies in the fast expanding ‘global’ city which is prone to heavy flooding during rains. As usual every monsoon, the politicians and officials come, assure the residents that they would find permanent solutions and then vanish.

Last year when low lying areas of Tarnaka faced nightmarish experience during monsoon, GHMC promised to take up desilting of nalas and expand the capacity of stormwater drains. But the promises were soon forgotten.

Talking to Hans India, the residents said that as no works were being taken up, they had made several representations to the Deputy Mayor Mothe Srilatha Shoban Reddy who is also a resident of Tarnaka and is fully aware of the problems the residents face. But still things did not move, they said.

The residents said that almost all the stormwater drains in Tarnaka lack maintenance. “The recent unseasonal rains gave a preview of what was in store for us this monsoon,” the residents added. Among the worst affected areas in Tarnaka were Gokul Nagar, Tarnaka Street no 1 and Kimith Colony.

As there are no proper inlet and outlets the lanes get flooded and heavy water logging takes place and not just that water even enters the houses. There have been any number of incidents when boats had to be used event to supply milk and water. Still the authorities did feel it necessary to take up works on war footing, they complained.

The main drawback over here is that the stormwater drains are not cleaned and during rains, water flows from upstream colonies that include Nacharam and gets accumulated in the low-lying colonies of Tarnaka.

Desilting works should normally start in April, but so far nothing has happened leaving the residents helpless. Residents will have to once again wade through rainwater mixed with overflowing sewage water once again this monsoon, said Syed Khaled Shah Chishti Hussaini, a social activist.

Residents of Gokul Nagar pointed that all their requests to GHMC had fallen on deaf ears. They said they find it very difficult to pump out the rainwater. Even this authorities do not take up. People are left to manage such situations on their own and no help has been forthcoming from anyone, they said.