Unabated downpour: Waterlogging, potholed roads irk residents

Hyderabad: With incessant rains continuing to lash the city, normal life was thrown out of gear and caused severe waterlogging, while uprooted trees further worsened the situation. Most of the citizens avoided venturing outside amidst the civic body urging people to avoid unnecessary travel.

Hyderabad Met Centre predicted more rains for the next two days due to the low-pressure area. In Hyderabad, light to moderate rainfall was recorded in almost all areas inclining Kapra, Secunderabad, Uppal, Malkajgiri, Alwal, Musheerabad, Jubilee Hills, Santosh Nagar, Chandrayangutta, Begumpet, Nampally, Madhapur, Mehdipatnam, and Chandanagar witnessed light rain, according to Telangana Development Planning Society.

The IMD Hyderabad has forecasted that the weather conditions may not improve in next few days and has issued a yellow alert for Hyderabad.

With continuous rain, the city roads have turned from bad to worse. The rains resulted in thousands of potholes across the city. The rains have made peoples’ lives miserable as driving on the roads has turned into a nightmare due to the pathetic road conditions. The civic works undertaken by various departments such as cables, drainage, and water pipelines which are not levelled on time are also causing great inconvenience to the commuters. The ongoing works and incomplete works are the major reasons for making the roads from bad to worse.

Meanwhile, the rains have led to a significant increase in the water levels of three major water bodies. The water level in Hussain Sagar has risen to 513.21 ft, which is close to its full tank level (FTL) of 513.41 ft. Similarly, Osman Sagar is also experiencing a water level increase at 1779.25 ft, against its FTL of 1790 ft. Moreover, Himayat Sagar has a water level of 1755.60 ft, which is nearing its FTL of 1763 ft.

GHMC has deployed Monsoon Emergency Teams and Static Teams across the city. Authorities have also alerted residents in low-lying areas and asked the public to come out of their houses only if necessary. The special teams have cleared waterlogging at multiple locations including Allwyn Colony, Uppal Circle, Karwan, Balanagar, ECIL X roads, and others.

“The officials of relevant departments are working in complete coordination to avoid traffic problems. From time to time, people are alerted by the warnings from the weather department. Strict measures are being taken to prevent any untoward incident due to rains,” read a statement by the GHMC.

GHMC officials have been on high alert following warnings issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). GHMC has also set up monsoon emergency teams, with static teams deployed in the city since Friday night to clear water stagnation.

The civic body informed that it has established 238 static and 154 monsoon emergency teams at waterlogging points to ensure that people do not face any issues during the monsoon season.

The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency (HYDRAA) has set up 30 monsoon emergency teams. In addition, Certified Risk Management Professional (CRMP) has formed 29 monsoon emergency teams, which are continuously clearing water at waterlogging points.