Low-Lying Areas Swamped, Islands Dot City

HYDERABAD: Several low-lying areas of the city bore the brunt of incessant rains that lashed the city in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. At least 20 houses in Yellamma Banda and Sikh Basti in Kukatpally were inundated and marooned residents evacuated late in night.
Other vulnerable areas, including Krishna Nagar, Gajularamaram, Himayat Nagar, Vishnupuri Colony at Medipally, Hasan Nagar in Balapur, Shirdi Nagar, East Anand Bagh, Ayodhya X Roads in Medchal and Nizam Colony in Tolichowki were swamped by rain water.
The administration put exigency plans in place to tackle the rising Musi, particularly in its stretch under the Moosarambagh Bridge. “Musi waters rose perilously close to the bridge railings, but ebbed after the rain stopped. Another intense downpour could have triggered a crisis,” a Disaster Response Force (DRF) official said.
Two shanty tenements in Rajendranagar’s Hyderguda collapsed after midnight, but there were no casualties. “Water remained stagnant for four days and this tells the story of a pathetic drainage situation. Several houses have been swamped with water up to knee-level. And we had to shift to our relatives’ house nearby,” Ravanamma, a resident, said.
The commercial route to Risala Bazaar in Bolarum was cut off for vehicles as officials kicked off work of clearing water. In the suburban areas of Hyderabad, particularly at Puppalaguda and Narsingi Road, commuters and pedestrians were stranded as the water blockade triggered a massive traffic snarl.
In the heart of the city, Hussain Sagar’s water levels crossed the Full Tank Level limits and stood at 513.63 feet as water began to flow at a brisk pace through the surplus nala. This caused severe problems for residents living at Road Number 14 in Himayatnagar, which was already inundated in the last four days.