NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Rediff Shopping

Shop & gift from thousands of products!   Books     Music       Apparel   Jewellery   Flowers   More..      Safe Shopping

AP twin cities limp back to normalcy

Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad

Life is limping back to normal in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad after torrential rains for two days this week wreaked havoc and flooded over 80 localities and colonies.

Some of the affected localities and colonies, especially those in Toli Chowki, Bharathnagar, Begumpet, Khairatabad and Ashoknagar, remained inundated for the third consecutive day on Friday, even as authorities organised relief for those stranded through six army boats and two air force helicopters.

Water receded in other localities in the city as it has not rained since Thursday morning. Those marooned were provided food packets and water sachets. Over 35,000 people have been accommodated in 91 relief camps, set up in school buildings and community halls.

The municipal corporation of Hyderabad, city police, fire services, district collectorate and metropolitan water supply and sewerage board co-ordinated relief, rescue, rehabilitation and restoration work. While the corporation has taken up repairs of roads, the metro board has initiated measures to restore drains and repair breaches at lakes and tanks. AP Transco has begun work for restoration of power. Teams from the collectorate have begun enumeration of damaged houses and other property.

Similarly, medical and paramedical teams have been deployed to prevent the outbreak of gastro-enteritis in the twin cities.

Officials, who drew flak for the inundation of several areas in the city and for tardy relief and rescue operations, attributed the havoc to overflowing water tanks and lakes in and around the twin cities, as well as drains that criss-cross the state capital.

They maintained that the inundation was due to encroachments on riverbanks and riverbed of the Musi that separates the southern and northern parts of the city, and the mushrooming of colonies and multi-storeyed complexes along the drains that carry floodwater from Hussainsagar to the Musi. Unauthorised constructions over the years have blocked vents from the lake.

Municipal commissioner P K Mohanty said that those who occupied land and constructed houses near the Musi riverbed were the worst affected. They refused to move to safer places despite pleas from the civic authorities and were marooned when the heavy rain followed.

Several colonies on the city outskirts were inundated due to overflowing tanks at Safilguda, Satamcheruvu, Hasmathpet and Saroornagar, the authorities explained.

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report