Water level at the Hussainsagar lake on Friday was precariously poised holding a threat of inundating several abutting low lying residential areas and sending a shiver down the spine of officials.
A worried city administration described the situation as ‘tense’ and officials confessed that one burst of heavy rain could send water surging out of the lake as uninterrupted drizzle for the last two days in the city had the water body crossing its Full Tank Level (FTL) of 513.41 metres, at 513.45 metres.
Apprehending inundation, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) advised residents along the downstream to remain cautious and be prepared to move to rehabilitation centres.
In the afternoon, in-charge Commissioner Naveen Mittal accompanied by senior officials inspected the water body and directed officials to stay alert given a 24-hour rain forecast.
Cautioned
He advised residents of low lying areas of Hussainsagar downstream to be cautious as the present situation was ‘tense’, the GHMC informed in a press release issued later in the day.
Any sudden rainfall could result in inundation of several colonies such as Arundhati Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar, Aravinda Nagar, Rathna Nagar, Shivanand Nagar, Datta Nagar and abutting areas of Domalguda, Ashok Nagar and Himayatnagar.
Municipal and revenue officials had contacted residents with the help of local representatives and corporators on shifting them if the situation so warranted.
Hoping for no rain
Worried officials were hoping that there should be no sudden heavy downpour today lest it could lead to flooding of abutting localities.
“The situation is such that rain lasting for an hour in the city or heavy inflows from catchment areas can create problems,” said an official.
Around evening, GHMC Central Zone Commissioner K. Siva Parvathi said the water levels seem to have receded a bit.
Threat
“We have been informed by the Irrigation Department officials that the inundation problem starts when the level reaches 513.80 metres. As of now, there is some buffer available,” she said.
