Hyderabad: The unusually heavy rain has exposed Chennai’s broken urban planning, revealed its stolen natural waterways and exposed its tolerance of illegal constructions. While Hyderabad is no different, the situation went out of control with just 22 cm of rain in 24 hours in August 2000. Even a few hours of rain can submerge most low lying parts in the city.
The Kirloskar Committee’s suggestions remain just a report as the government is least interested in remodelling of nalas and removal of encroachment.
Over 2,700 illegal occupancy is identified on city nalas. Following the floods in August 2000, the committee carried out a detailed study and found that the drainage system in the twin cities was inadequate and had been designed for 12 mm or an hour of water flow.
Disappearance of floor-absorbing tanks, dumping of garbage and other materials into open drains and construction of housing colonies in the foreshores of tanks, were cited as the reasons for inundation of various parts of the city by the committee.
It suggested the widening and deepening of drains by providing constructed sections and concrete structures. It suggested that eight main nalas should be widened immediately and retaining walls should be built for remodelling where the state government should spend Rs 1,000 crore.
The average width of each nala should be four to 50 metres. Nalas should be constructed so that they would not face any threat in the next 50 years if there is 240 mm rainfall and Rs 53.19 crore should be allocated to clear 6,520 encroachment on different nalas.
Governments remain mute spectators
Over the years, governments have changed but not governance, may it be the Telugu Desam in 1994, the Congress in 2004 or the TRS in 2015, all governments have tolerated building and layout violations and have given the nod for regularising them, without a thought that these violations will re-create the August 2000 flood situation.
Over 60,000 illegal buildings including those built on tanks and nalas were regularised in 2008. This has given violators legal permission to settle on land belonging to the water bodies.
The TRS government made tall claims of having no mercy on violators but took a U-turn and announced the BPS and LRS a few months ahead of the GHMC council elections, expecting a revenue of Rs 1,200 crore.
The then TD government was the first to introduce the schemes in 1998 and earned '40.46 crore, while the Congress government in 2008 collected Rs 868.87 crore for BPS and Rs 572.55 crore for LRS.
During the initial days of the new government, the Chief Minister had promised to save all lakes in GHMC and HMDA area. A few have been fenced and protected.
However, the major ones are still under threat of land grabbers. The TRS government took a bold step and took serious note of N-convention hall in Madhapur which had encroached three acres of the buffer zone and full tank level of Thammidi Kunta Lake. However it sat over the issue.
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A file pic of drains overflowing when heavy rains lashed the city earlier this year. (Photo: DC)
The government had announced that no violator will escape. A massive demolition drive was planned which did not take off.
Less than 20 months being in government, the TRS party did nothing different from the Congress and TD governments and has announced BRS and LRS schemes, which is another sop in its agenda.
Over 95 per cent of the buildings in GHMC limits fall under the deviated category and 5 per cent are totally illegal (no construction permission granted). Total illegal buildings are few, but most BPS scheme is for deviated structures.
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