Is Hyderabad monsoon ready?

Moreover, the recent viral clips of incessant traffic jams in the western part of the city along with a nala caving in at Banjara Hills and the usual waterlogged roads, all give enough reason to worry.

Hyderabad: The city has received its first few spells of monsoon rain. For the next couple of months, one can expect anything between moderate to heavy rainfall.

Is Hyderabad prepared to deal with the upcoming challenges? Though the civic bodies are expected to go through the drill of pre-monsoon works and be ready to tackle the impact of rains, the staff engaged in election duty and contractors backing off over non-payment of dues this time might have dented the city’s preparedness.

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Moreover, the recent viral clips of incessant traffic jams in the western part of the city along with a nala caving in at Banjara Hills and the usual waterlogged roads, all give enough reason to worry.

Waterlogged roads nightmare for motorists

Irrespective of the area, roads are waterlogged everywhere -commercial streets in Ameerpet, the hub of upscale software companies Raheja Mindspace, in front of the State Secretariat, and even in the bylanes of colonies.

Motorists are forced to drive through paths where they are knee-deep in water with zero visibility of the road beneath, eventually resulting in traffic congestions.

According to HMWS&SB data recently shared, there are 120 designated water logging points in the city while a statement by the GHMC says 134 areas were identified as vulnerable. Several road stretches like Abhinav Nagar Colony, Khairatabad, and Nagole are filled with potholes, making commuting unsafe.

Manholes, drains continue to pose danger

Despite the recent initiative by the HMWS&SB where they painted deep manholes red, the safety of citizens remains in considerable danger. There are a total of 63,221 deep manholes in the city, of which 26,798 fall under GHMC and 36,423 with other suburban municipalities.

Besides, the fact that manhole lids in many areas aren’t painted yet, when the roads are waterlogged, one wouldn’t be able to see the lids themselves, let alone the paint colour.

Although there were also orders to place red flags and adequately cover up the manholes, many are still only loosely covered and red flags are nowhere to be seen.

Desilting of drains and nalas is also incomplete in several areas of the city. Residents in Suraram, Bachupally, KRCR Colony, and some areas in Manikonda face severe issues with not just waterlogging, but also with frequently overflowing sewage. HMWS&SB however says that they have a thorough monsoon action plan which includes a Central Safety Protocol Cell.

Dilapidated buildings

GHMC recently conducted a survey on dilapidated buildings and found over 450 buildings were on shaky ground. These need to be either completely demolished or undergo multiple repairs. A majority of these buildings are to be taken care of to prevent risks of collapsing.

Power cuts continue After hours without electricity in the soaring temperatures of summer, Hyderabadis will continue to feel the lack of power in monsoons as well. Complaints about disruption in electricity flooding social media channels shows brief power cuts are becoming a norm in the city.

Residents in some areas also complained of low voltage and that multiple repairs also failed to fix the issue. Although the TGSPDCL has taken measures to safeguard the electric lines and mains across the city, power cuts remain a major concern in monsoon as well.

DRF teams ready, says EVDM Director This monsoon, the Directorate Of Enforcement Vigilance & Disaster Management’s Disaster Response Force (DRF) is all geared up according to Director, Prakash Reddy. “All the 30 teams are fully trained and are equipped with dewatering and tree-cutting equipment,” he said.

An Emergency Response Team (ERT) has also been constituted which will work alongside other civic administration departments. Moreover, DRF is also training NGOs and Resident Welfare Association members in disaster management, especially floods.

No trees being chopped: official Every monsoon, there is the fear of trees uprooting or branches falling off. Despite that, the Urban Biodiversity Department of the GHMC says that tree felling is not being undertaken this year to conserve them. Additional Commissioner (UBD) Dr Sunanda says that while the electricity department has trimmed a few trees that were interrupting the wires, trees have not been chopped in the lead-up to the monsoons. “Only when the tree is completely withered and we cannot save it, we are given permission to chop them,” she adds.