HYDERABAD: Heavy rains that started from the early hours of Tuesday inundated several houses in colonies around Saroornagar lake, leading to a similar situation that was witnessed during the last monsoon. Water from overflowing nalas entered into most of the houses in Sharadanagar, Venkateshwara Colony, Tirumala Colony, Kodandaramnagar and P&T Colony.
Many families living in Sharadanagar had to shift to a temporary shelter, as frothy water entered into their houses.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) had not learned any lesson from the past, said the angry residents. They have been facing similar issues during rains for three years in a row. Despite giving assurance to resolve the inundation problem, the authorities were yet to address the issue, they alleged. Residents lamented that the corporation's Strategic Nala Development Plan (SNDP) did not provide any solution as knee-deep water entered most of the colonies not only in LB Nagar circle but also across all low-lying areas in the city.
Saroornagar lake is connected to Kappala Cheru, Balapur Cheruvu and five other water bodies. Water from those lakes is collected here and during heavy rains, excess water from this lake is released to the Musi river by lifting the sluice gates. Whenever there are heavy rains, the colonies around the lake are submerged. According to Jaganelolu Tirupathi, a resident of Sharadanagar, “At around 12:30 am, the rain started and within one-and-a-half hours, the water entered into the house and it was more than four feet high. I have been living here for the past three decades, but we have been facing this problem for the past 10 years.” “Saroornagar lake used to be a bigger one, but half of the lake has been converted into a park. I guess that could be the reason for this flood. The water which is overflowing from the nala is full of froth,” he said.
Yadamma, a domestic helper, who moved to her relatives’ place along with her two children, said, “The whole house is filled with dirty water. My children and I had to stay awake all night,” she said.
Deepak Kumar, a resident of Kodandaramnagar, said whenever there was heavy rain, all the shops were closed because the roads were filled with water. “This episode repeats every year. People are always scared whenever it rains. Our vehicles are submerged and there is property loss,” he said. “There has to be a permanent solution. There is also mosquito menace, due to which people are falling ill,” he added.
