Hyderabad: Dwellers near RuBs continue to grapple with waterlogging woes

Malakpet: Every year monsoon is coupled with immense loss for the residents of Malakpet, Azampura, Yakutpura and Talab Katta as they waterlogging issue and also several houses remain inundated for days.

Just in the flood-like situation on the banks of rivers, each year residents face problems after nalas overflow, dreading inundation. Residents urge permanent fixation of the water inundation issue at four Railway under Bridge (RuB)'s at Malakpet, Azampura, Yakutpura, and Talab Katta.

Nala situated beside these RuBs is resulting in overflowing and inundation of the surrounding area. Around 3 to 4 feet of water inundate these areas.

The nalas, which have become narrower owing to haphazard construction activity, now face the real problem even as huge quantities of wastage can be seen floating on the surface causing the inundation of these RuBs and surrounding areas.

Several areas like Talab Katta RuB and its surroundings, Hafiz Nagar in Rein Bazar, Yakutpura Railway Station, Sadat Nagar, Ganga Nagar, Azampura and Malakpet are in waters upto four feet and above.

"For last several years these RuBs and surrounding area inundated in every monsoon but no permanent solution has been taken by the civic body and even this monsoon the situation would be same and we will be the one who would suffer," said Mohammed Habeeb, a resident of Malakpet.

Abdul Rahman, a social activist, said that for the last several years, works have been taken up, but only temporary solutions were found by the civic authorities. Even in this season, the residents have to suffer. "I fear that the condition of this area would be the same as previous years. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is coming up with a temporary solution, but the civic body should fix the problem permanently. The solution is to distil the nala, and to install new pipelines in the area for free flow of water."

"As a part of the Monsoon Action Plan, the desilting works were completed in these nalas, but the civic body has to desilt the nala at least up to 8 feet, but the GHMC is only doing temporary works with desilting hardly 2 feet in each nala, which is causing the water logging in RuBs and the localities are inundated," he added.

As the rains have already hit the city, the civic body is still taking up the monsoon action plan. Recently, the GHMC has started the construction works of retaining wall at London Bridge at SRT colony Azmath Nagar, the works were sanctioned earlier, but it began recently. If the works were started prior, they would be completed before the monsoon.

The localities in Yakutpura which would be facing water logging in rains, recently the team of National Disaster Response Force inlcuding ACP Damodar Singh and Inspector Yogesh Verma along with Charminar MRO has inspected the areas.