Heavy Rainfall in Hyderabad Sparks Chaos and Flooding

Hyderabad, September 5: Torrential rainfall that pounded Hyderabad and its suburbs in the early hours of Tuesday triggered widespread chaos, leaving numerous residential areas submerged, disrupting daily life, and causing vehicular gridlock.

Inundation Woes:
Low-lying residential pockets near lakes and stormwater drains bore the brunt of the downpour, with roads resembling cesspools. Overflowing water bodies and drains inundated neighborhoods, infiltrating homes and causing extensive damage to personal belongings. This relentless deluge inflicted considerable hardship on residents.

Education Institutions Closed:
In response to the relentless downpour and the prospect of further showers, authorities declared a holiday for all educational institutions. The heavy rain also resulted in significant road submersion, impeding the usual flow of traffic in typically bustling areas. Commuters heading to work found themselves trapped in severe traffic snarls.

Traffic Chaos:
The situation was particularly dire in Shaikpet, where massive inundation led to lengthy traffic jams on the flyover and the road connecting Toli Chowki to IT hubs like HITEC City and Gachibowli. Similar scenes played out on Kukatpally-Moosapet and Erragadda-Moosapet roads. To alleviate the situation, the Cyberabad Police urged IT employees to work from home and advised citizens to exercise utmost caution due to the anticipated heavy rainfall.

Stranded Students Rescued:
Hostels of several engineering colleges in the Maisammaguda area had students stranded due to flooding. Disaster Response Force (DRF) teams deployed JCBs to rescue them. Hostel buildings belonging to Mallareddy, St. Peters, and Narasimha Reddy colleges were inundated by floodwater.

Negligence Blamed:
Inundation extended to colonies in areas such as Chintal, Uppal, Begumpet, Toli Chowki, Kukatpally, Bowenpally, and Gandlapochamapally. Exasperated residents pointed fingers at municipal authorities and local public representatives, holding them accountable for the negligence that exacerbated the persistent waterlogging issue. Some residents asserted that politicians shouldn’t seek their votes in upcoming elections without addressing this ongoing problem.

GHMC Alert:
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) issued an alert, urging residents to remain indoors unless absolutely necessary. Disaster Response Force (DRF) teams were actively working to clear water stagnation and fallen trees across the city.

Mayor’s Call for Caution:
Greater Hyderabad Mayor Vijayalaxmi Gadwal personally inspected the waterlogged areas near Balkampet Bridge. She directed Zonal Commissioners and DRF teams to promptly address the water stagnation. Mayor Gadwal advised citizens to travel only in emergencies and to exercise extreme caution when doing so.

Rainfall Statistics:
Hyderabad experienced rainfall between 10-14 centimeters since the early morning hours. Miyapur recorded the highest precipitation at 14 centimeters, while Kukatpally received 12.73 centimeters, Rajendranagar 11.98 centimeters, Shaikpet 11.9 centimeters, and Khairatabad 11.68 centimeters.

Government Response:
State Minister T. Srinivas Yadav directed GHMC officials to remain on high alert to minimize inconvenience to the public. He encouraged citizens to contact the GHMC control room at 21111111 or 23225397 in case of emergencies. Additionally, officials were closely monitoring the water levels in Hussain Sagar lake, Osman Sagar, and Himayat Sagar reservoirs, as well as the flow in stormwater drains.