Sudden Downpour Takes Hyderabad City Off-Guard

Hyderabad: A sudden evening downpour threw Hyderabad into chaos on Friday, flooding arterial roads, paralysing traffic, and leaving hundreds of commuters stranded for hours.

The rain began just as office-goers stepped out. Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Ameerpet, Panjagutta, Khairatabad, Tank Bund, Secunderabad, Mehdipatnam, and the OU campus reported intense rainfall accompanied by severe waterlogging.

According to the Telangana Development Planning Society (TGDPS), Banjara Hills (CMTC premises) recorded the highest rainfall at 19 mm, followed by Shaikpet at 18.3 mm and Filmnagar at 16.8 mm between 8.30 am and 6 pm.

By evening, continuous rain had inundated low-lying areas in Shaikpet, Khairatabad, and Musheerabad. Vehicles were stranded in waterlogged stretches across Lakdikapul, Ameerpet, Telugu Talli flyover, and Panjagutta, where motorists were seen taking shelter under flyovers and at bus stops.

The situation was particularly grim in the IT corridor. Roads in Madhapur, Raidurgam, and the Financial District were submerged, disrupting movement for hours. Many IT companies offered employees the option to work from home, while Cyberabad police advised staggered work timings to ease congestion. GHMC’s emergency teams were deployed for water-pumping operations, but continuing rainfall slowed progress.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of further spells of light to heavy rain across Hyderabad over the weekend and advised residents to step out only if necessary.

The forecast extends across Telangana, with alerts issued for districts such as Adilabad, Karimnagar, Kamareddy, Peddapalli, Warangal, and Hanmakonda until September 2. The rainfall is attributed to a low-pressure system over Chhattisgarh and an upper-air cyclonic circulation that continues to drive monsoon activity across the state.