The western and central parts of the city received heavy rain throughout Monday, giving citizens a taste of the monsoon on the day of Bonalu, which was celebrated in some parts of the city. The highest rainfall recorded within 24 hours was around 5.2 cm in Srinagar colony. Madhapur and Amberpet received around 5.1 cm rainfall. The other areas which experienced heavy rain include Nampally, Balanagar, Begumpet, Narayanguda and Malkajgiri.
The downpour, which began in the early hours of Monday, went on till late evening. As the heavy drizzle turned into a downpour, pedestrians and motorists, particularly two-wheeler riders, on several roads had a harrowing time.
A case in point was the stretch from the NIMS to the Panjagutta traffic junction. Within minutes, one half of the busy road leading to Ameerpet was water-logged presumably as the outlet to drain was choked. This forced pedestrians to take a detour and two-wheelers vied for space with bigger vehicles on the remaining motorable part.
Making matters worse for road-users in many areas were not just the pot holes resulting from the downpour, but also the road-cuttings made for various works that made driving dangerous. In Gachibowli and near popular shopping malls in Kukatpally, drivers had a tough time controlling their vehicle.
The saviour of the day was the government holiday declared on account of Bonalu as there were fewer vehicles on some major routes. Water-logging was reported from Santoshnagar, Jahanuma, Kukatpally, Madhapur, Chandanagar, and Erragadda, among other areas. Staff of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation swung into action and initiated efforts to drain out the water.
Aiding the emergency teams on ground were the civic officials who identified potholes and water stagnation points using 48 CCTV cameras controlled by the police department.
Lack of street illumination also posed a challenge to road users.
Hussainsagar was brimming with water as the water level almost rose to full tank level (FTL).
