Monsoon hits Telangana, but desilting of 300 km stormwater network is yet to be completed

Hyderabad: Though the monsoon hit the state three days ago, nearly 300 km of the stormwater network is yet to be desilted by Greater Hyderabad civic officials. The accumulated waste in these drains poses a risk of flooding abutting areas, if not cleared to allow free flow of stormwater. Incidentally, these details emerged hours after a 40-year-old fell and drowned in an open nala in Suraram on Tuesday night,

According to data from Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), of the total network of 951 km of stormwater drains and nalas, only 651 km have been desilted, while work was on for the remaining 300 km. The civic body has allocated Rs 50 crore for this year's desilting activities.

The intermittent rain over the past three days has complicated the desilting operations, as waste and silt continue to accumulate and block stormwater drains, leading to waterlogging and flooding on roads. Several Metros, including Mumbai and Bengaluru, were already experiencing flooding in the first few days of the monsoon.

Among the six zones in Greater Hyderabad, the Khairatabad zone, covering the central parts of the city, lags significantly with only 54% of desilting work completed thus far. This situation has necessitated the Khairatabad zone to invite expressions of interest for providing stormwater drains (solid and liquid) cleaning services by using jetting and suction mechanisms and detecting bottlenecks using robotic technology fitted with cameras to eliminate waterlogging points on main roads.

According to GHMC officials, the early onset of the monsoon has disrupted the desilting operations. “We initiated the cleaning of nalas and stormwater drains in April, with plans to wrap it up by the first week of June, anticipating the monsoon's arrival around June 10. While manual labour is being utilised for clearing stormwater drains, earthmovers and jetting machines have been deployed at nalas. However, efforts are underway to complete the remaining works within the next 10 to 15 days,” a senior GHMC engineering wing official said.

Survey of dilapidated buildings yet to be completed

On the other hand, GHMC is yet to complete the survey for the identification of dilapidated structures and old compound walls. Three weeks ago, the GHMC commissioner had asked the town planning wing to serve notices on the owners of all dilapidated structures and carry out immediate vacation or sealing of the most dangerous structures.

According to GHMC officials, if the owner undertakes the repair of the dilapidated structure as per the opinion, it must be ensured that the repair works meet the standards and a certificate on structural safety was submitted. A special drive for demolition of dilapidated structures was being carried out periodically.