As monsoon clouds hover, TOI revisits colonies impacted by 2020 floods. While areas near Secunderabad & LB Nagar seem fortified by SNDP works, several other areas remain vulnerable to inundation. Ujwal Bommakanti lists a fewBotched nala works leave Padma Colony wreckedResidents of Padma Colony near Nallakunta are in grip of fear after being wrecked by flooding recently. Botched reconstruction of a Musi nala has worsened the situation and remain incomplete though it’s one of the oldest SNDP projects undertaken two years ago. “Temporary measures have been put in place with sandbags. The retaining wall is often breached by water pressure and the colony gets flooded,” T Rithesh, a civil engineer and a local resident of Padma Colony said. Residents added they sought construction of a RCC wall, instead of a RR retaining wall, but no action was taken. And almost every house has built a floodgate. “When it rains, we take shelter in the terrace. We even spoke with minister KT Rama Rao, who assured us he would look into these issues,” said Rithesh. During unseasonal rains in May, 12 cars and 25 bikes were washed away, and 50 houses were inundated.
Gurram Cheruvu nala works crawl, Baba Nagar on edgeResidents of Baba Nagar, which was worst-hit during the 2020 floods, still live in fear of inundation from Balapur Lake a. k. a Gurram Cheruvu. Officials are building a spillway to drain the water under the bridge. However, rain stalled work causing inundation at the new nala. Residents recall how their houses were flooded after the lake breached its FTL on October, 2020, when two people were washed away. “It has been over two years and we have little hope this monsoon,” Mohammed Jiliani, a resident of Omer Colony told TOI.
Realty on lake, Osman Nagar still maroonedThis area is a grim reminder of the adverse impact of buildings on lake beds. For more than two years several houses remained flooded. While residents still dream of returning home, they can’t as they need to wade through knee-deep water. In fact, many locals go fishing at the place. “We were assured of rehabilitation, but nothing worked out. I have been living at my mother’s place since the floods,” said Fatima Begum, a resident. Officials noted houses were built on FTL of Osman Nagar Lake, while residents claim legal ownership. Officials did rebuild lake bunds, but a permanent solution is elusive
Yousufguda still face the brunt of floodsAreas like Venkatagiri, Krishna Nagar and Sabir Road in Yousufguda continue to remain flood-prone due to choked nalas and surge from upstream areas. From 2020 till date, Yousufguda has been referred to as vulnerable, but nothing concrete has been done at the ground level. “It takes 20 minutes to get flooded as water gushes down from Jubilee Hills Check Post area. Desilting works take place, but there is a need to remodel the entire nala,” Suresh Reddy, a local resident said.
Girl falls into pit, pulled out aliveAn 11-year-old girl survived a major tragedy after she fell into a pit filled with sewer water in Mohammed Nagar in Bandlaguda on Monday. Around 1. 30pm, a girl was walking outside her house and accidentally fell into the pit, GHMC officials said. Luckily, workers from a local hotel pulled her out of the pit. A CCTV video of the incident has gone viral on Twitter, which showed the girl falling into the unsecured pit. Locals said that the pit was left open for three months. Officials later put up a caution tape.
Ensure no loss of life in rains: KTRMunicipal administration minister KT Rama Rao on Tuesday directed officials to see to it that there was no loss of human lives in the monsoon season. Speaking at a review meeting , the minister asked officials to identify low-lying areas to make necessary arrangements. “Compared to the last few years, several colonies will not face flooding,” an engineer said. On the newly-launched ward office system, KTR cautioned zonal and deputy commissioners to take pro-active measures
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