Hyderabad: Even before it could recover from last Tuesday’s devastating rains and floods, Hyderabad city was once again battered by extreme rainfall of about 19 cms within five hours on Saturday night leaving hundreds of thousands of people in the grip of panic and fear. The bund of a big lake in Balapur collapsed under the pressure of fresh inflows causing massive floods in several colonies under Chandrayangutta.
At least three people were killed in the city in fresh rain related mishaps. One person was electrocuted in Malakpet area. A dead body was found in flooded water in Omer colony and a boy was electrocuted in Naseebnagar taking the toll in Hyderabad to 35 and over all toll in Telangana to 53.
To put things in perspective it was the fourth such spell of extreme heavy rains in last one month, the worst being on Tuesday last with a record fall of 32 cms.
Residents washed away
Adding to the woes the overflowing “Gurram Cheruvu” tank at Balapur breached and flood gushed into the residential colonies of Hafiz Baba Nagar, Omar Colony and Balapur at around 1.30 am. Such was the intensity of the flow that some residents were washed away and local people saved them with great difficulty. In some of the areas including Baba Nagar, first floors of houses were drowned and people were forced to take refuge on upper floors.
Gurram Chervu was one of the dozens of lakes in Hyderabad which were overflowing since last Tuesday’s rains and some of them developed breaches.
Many families frantically tried to move out to go to their relatives in safer areas and in one such effort a woman was washed away but others saved her. It was nightmarish situation in the dark of night in Babanagar as frightened people were calling for help and rescue from rooftops.
There were dramatic scenes with cars and two and three wheelers getting washed away in the powerful currents of flood water through the streets of flooded area. Tolichowki area, already beadly battered by the earlier rains, once again suffered as many colonies were flooded.
Similar scenes were reported from Chaitanyapuri, Dilsukhnagar, Saroornagar and LB Nagar. Singapore Township in city outskirts recorded the highest rainfall of 19 cms in five hours. In Abdullahpurmet police saved three occupants of a car, which was stuck in floods, with the help of a JCB.
In Hitech City, the IT hub of Hyderabad, thousands of vehicles were stuck in flood water creating a massive jam throughout the night.
Along with Hyderabad the surrounded districts of Medchal, Malkajgiri, Ranga Reddy and Yadadri-Bhongi were also badly affected by the latest rains.
Administration, already fatigued by the relief and rescue work of last few days had to swung into action to rescue and evacuate people from flooded localities. Chandrayangutta MLA and leader of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) Akbaruddin Owaisi spoke to the Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar to seek immediately deployment of National Disaster Relief Fore and more boats for rescue operations.
Worst affected area
On Sunday morning he along with the Hyderabad city police commissioner Anjani Kumar visited the worst affected area and reassured the people of all possible help.
People had heaved a sigh of relief on Saturday the sun broke out of clouds and there was clear sun light through out the day. But towards the evening sky again turned dark and heavy downpour started badly hitting the ongoing relief work.
Within an hour roads turned into streams coming under up to three to four feet of water. Latest rains have caused further extensive damage to the civic infrastructure. With water clogging crucial roads, several routes including Shamshabad airport road, Malakpet road, two causeways over river Musi were closed for the traffic.
Falaknuma bridge near the famous Falaknuma palace turned hotel also suffered major damage and was closed to the traffic going towards Chandrayangutta circle.
Even after almost a week long rains, worst does not seems to be over for the city. The Indian Meteorological Department has issued of more rains over Hyderabad and surrounding areas for the next three to four days. Though the weather office has issued a warning earlier on Saturday of possibility of heavy rains and administration had warned people to stay indoors, still a massive numbers of vehicles and people were out on the roads and were caught in the floods.
