Lack of sufficient drinking water, unbearable stench, stagnant water and loss of valuable belongings in the Friday’s rain, has left residents of Nagamaiah Kunta in a lurch.
With unhygienic conditions prevailing, residents were finding it tough even to cook their food and are forced to depend on their few fortunate neighbours. Many had lost their possessions, clothes, furniture, electronic goods, etc. either in the overflowing nala or were rendered useless completely soaked in the filthy water.
“The civic authorities announced they would be providing rice but it would not help as there are no utensils or kerosene to cook,” lamented Gouramma, a resident, pointing to the silt in her house.
“We need basic necessities like kerosene and other provisions also. We have lost everything,” she wailed. Fearing the worst some moved to their relatives’ places. “We are trying to salvage whatever we can but there is little hope. Rice, wheat and other commodities got damaged as also college and school text books,” said Srinivas, as he pointed out to the few possessions laid out on the road to dry.
Situation was no different in Bathukamma Kunta. Here too residents blamed the civic authorities and their public representatives for not coming to their aid.
Elsewhere as in the HiTec City and Serilingampally area, water had receded from the roads but not apprehensions among the denizens. “We are worried about the impact of more rains to come,” said Mahesh Chand, a businessman at Taranagar.
For those commuting between Kukatpally and Madhapur, the connecting spinal road had no water but road layers at different points got washed away. These were the sites where water level was high enough to submerge cars, almost.
Traffic was restored to a large extent on this busy stretch but motorists were wary. “Next time it rains, I am not going to come this way. It is better to take the longer detour of Hafeezpet flyover,” declared Jagannath Rao, a resident of Malaysian Township. The stretch connecting Kondapur with Gachibowli from Chirec School remained in bad shape with a dug up road.
Families return
Life in the low lying slums of Khairatabad which bore the brunt of the rain was limping to normalcy on Sunday. Several families near the Hanuman Temple, below the flyover, forced to vacate their houses, returned.
“We have cleaned up the sludge before our home as the municipal staff did not turn up, busy sweeping the main roads,” said Prakash, a resident. Uncleared garbage deposits and sludge were common sight on many roads. “We had to shut our shop and today, we have just started cleaning-up. Hopefully the weather will co-operate today. Many families depend on our affordable haleem dish,” said Haji, at Saifabad lines.
Fear remains
While citizens in several inundated parts of the old city were recovering from the deluge, fresh fears of a breach of the Gurram Cheruvu at Balapur surfaced on Sunday as a small portion of the embankment caved in.
The district administration immediately swung into action and strengthened the bund by putting up sand bags. “A minor portion of the recently renovated bund collapsed due to inflows into the lake. Immediate repairs were taken up to prevent any further damage,” Bandlaguda Tahsildar G. Venkateshwarlu said.
There was a threat of inundation of houses in the adjoining Hafeezbabanagar because of the leak. In other areas, people were seen busy drying out clothes and utensils amid slush on the roads.
In fact, the narrow lanes at Yakutpura, Talabkatta, Bhavaninagar and Malakpet presented a pathetic scene. The rain brought misery for many. “I had plans to celebrate Eid in a grand manner but now after suffering a loss of around Rs.25,000 I have to think twice,” bemoaned Babu Miya, a bed maker in Sadatnagar.
It is a similar story for Ahmed Hussain, puncture repairer at Amannagar, Bhavaninagar. “The tyres and tubes were washed away when the rain water gushed into my shop,” he said.
Huge chunks of slush remained on the lanes manhole lids left uncovered at many places. “Though it had been more than 24 hours no medical teams visited our area. There has been no effort made to sprinkle disinfectant too,” informed Noor Mohammed, a daily wage earner from Moula-ka-chilla area, Yakutpura.
Pitiable was the plight of residents of City Improvement Board (CIB) quarters along the Subedar Amir Ali Khan Road, Malakpet.
The nala running along the Malakpet railway station played havoc with sewage water gushing into several homes with residents blaming the tardy desilting for the flooding.
“We were so busy pumping out water and cleaning up that most families had to observe fast without doing the ‘saheri’ on the first day of Ramzan.”, said Syed Abul Fath Bandagi Badshah, a resident.
Some houses in Nadeem Colony, Tolichowki continued to be under sheets of water keeping the residents worried. Those, who had vacated their houses and moved to their relatives homes, were seen making their way back.
“We had to wade through knee-deep water to reach our house,” pointed out Mohd. Murtuza Khan, a resident. Pipelines were laid to divert water into the abutting Shatam Lake last year but a permanent solution has to be found, observed Nayeem, another resident.
