HYDRAA plans to engage former military personnel as marshals to tackle monsoon emergencies in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: To tackle monsoon-related challenges across the city, the Hyderabad Disaster Response Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) has decided to engage former military personnel to manage waterlogging issues and handle incidents of fallen trees across the city.

Following the state govt’s decision to transfer emergency monsoon operations to HYDRAA, the agency opted to employ ex-servicemen as ‘marshals’ for a five-month duration. During this period, 90 ex-army personnel will be stationed across the city and will head the 150 monsoon emergency teams. These marshals will additionally be tasked with safeguarding the city’s lakes from encroachments.

Further, 51 DRF teams from HYDRAA will support these emergency teams. All the units handle all monsoon-related tasks, including the clearing of catchpits during rainfall, dewatering, management of traffic diversions, and safety inspections of nalas to prevent accidents. Currently, the GHMC will be responsible for only pre-monsoon tasks such as desilting of nalas and stormwater drains.

According to officials, the marshals will supervise the contractors’ activities and confirm if their teams addressed the water stagnation issues and cleared fallen trees prior to bill payment. “Ex-servicemen, having served in the army, are known for their uncompromising approach towards work quality and safeguarding public assets, including protection against lake encroachments. This sets them apart from other authorities, making them ideal candidates for deployment as marshals,” said AV Ranganath, Commissioner, HYDRAA.

The govt cancelled previously approved contracts by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), valued at Rs 50 crore. “We will reduce monsoon-related spending by 40 percent, bringing it down from Rs 50 crore to Rs 30 crore across all operations. Rest assured, relief activities and emergency operations will remain unaffected. Previously, GHMC would hire dewatering pumps, but the two-month rental costs could instead fund the purchase of multiple pumps. Through such measures, we are implementing various cost-cutting strategies,” Ranganath added.

HYDRAA invites tenders for monsoon works

HYDRAA has taken charge of monsoon emergency operations, including urban flooding and disaster management, following the state govt's transfer order. The agency issued monsoon tenders with plans to deploy contractors in the next five days.

These teams will be positioned across all 150 GHMC wards. Each team will comprise nine members tasked with addressing road stagnation, water logging, and fallen trees during heavy rainfall. The scope of HYDRAA’s responsibilities includes clearing fallen trees and poles while coordinating with HMWSSB, TGSPDCL, and other agencies for monsoon-related response and relief activities.