Overnight Rains Submerge Colonies In Ramanthapur; Boats Ply On Habsiguda Roads

Hyderabad:

It’s double whammy for the already battered Hyderabad. The rain-hit city was under attack from the skies once again on Monday evening. The evening rains once again turned roads into waterways and colonies into water bodies.

The cumulonimbus clouds emptied their contents on a hapless Hyderabad. There appears to be more woes for Hyderabadis as the weatherman is predicting more rains in the coming 24 hours. Monday evening saw traffic holdups on all major roads. Distances that normally take 20 – 25 minutes, took more than 2 hours to negotiate. Stagnant rain water run-off compounded the woes of Hyderabadi commuters.

The incessant downpour left several parts of Dilsukhnagar, LB Nagar, Chaitanyapuri, Uppal, Mettuguda, Ameerpet, Jubilee Hills, Ramanthapur, Banjara Hills, Kukatpalli, Neredmet, Malkajgiri and Keesara flooded. Water entered into homes in several low-lying colonies and in Ramanthapur, where an already overflowing Pedda Cheruvu, wreaked havoc, harried residents had to lock their homes and leave for safer places.

In another first, boats had to be called in Habsiguda area, which too bore the brunt of the overflowing lakes in Ramanthapur. Most people in these areas complained that the GHMC officials did not come to their rescue in their hour of need.

For over a week, water remained stagnated in several houses in Ramanthapur. Water, sewer water, plastic waste, trash and others created a deadly and putrid concoction and the homes were reeking with unbearable stench. In several places, the water is being drained out with the help of motor pumps.

The Ramanthapur lake, which once was spread in an area of 32 acres, has now been shrunk to 22 acres due to unbridled encroachments. In a shocking revelation, a builder had raised a multi-apartment residential complex on the flood canal of the tank.

Meanwhile, Hussain Sagar is brimming with inflows and the areas upstream have been put on alert.