Is Hyderabad prepared to avert Delhi-like tragedies?

Encompassing a total of 1,302 km of nalas across the city, does Hyderabad accommodate enough checks and balances to avert tragedies like these? Are the authorities prepared to react if such ill-fated incidents occur?

Hyderabad: As three IAS aspirants, including one from Telangana, lost their lives in a flooded basement in Delhi, questions are raised on the capabilities of civic authorities to prevent and tackle such incidents.

With such a tragedy striking within a matter of minutes, apprehensions are raised on authorities timely cracking down on unauthorised constructions and encroachments and at the same time clear and clean the nalas to ensure such incidents and loss of lives are averted.

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Encompassing a total of 1,302 km of nalas across the city, does Hyderabad accommodate enough checks and balances to avert tragedies like these? Are the authorities prepared to react if such ill-fated incidents occur?

There are scores of colonies on or in close proximity to lake beds and drains. The city has 390 km of major drains and around 140 designated water-logging points. The number of instances when bridges at Musarambagh and low-lying areas were inundated is also significant.

Every year, GHMC and HMWS&SB receive multiple complaints regarding nalas and manholes in the months leading up to the monsoon. In June alone, HMWS&SB received 75,555 complaints, of which the majority were about sewage overflow and choked domestic pipelines.

In this context, factors like poor maintenance of drains and retaining walls, lack of cleaning, and desilting could be the major causes of such accidents. Officials however maintain that desilting and repair works are undertaken throughout the year and with more focus before monsoon.

In a statement, the GHMC said that 201 works with an estimated cost of Rs 56.38 crore have been taken up to cover 952.69 km of flood canal this financial year. So far, works at 781.42 kilometers have been completed and 3.3 lakh cubic meters of floating material has been removed.

“Out of that, 72.41 percent of the excavated soil was taken and dumped at the Jawahar Nagar dump yard. Bills are paid to the agency based on the amount of soil,” the officials added.

Moreover, the corporation is urging citizens to alert them of silt or any other maintenance work required. At least five homeowners near the nalas along with the local corporator were asked to register themselves regarding this.