Another bout of very heavy rain after three days’ gap left the city gasping, breaching its lakes and nalas, drowning several colonies, stranding people, cutting off road links and creating virtual mayhem.
The rain fury began on Saturday evening, and continued unabated for six to seven hours during the night, clocking close to 20 cm of rainfall at a few locations. Residents of colonies in Hafiz Baba Nagar and surrounding localities had to be evacuated at 3 a.m. on Sunday, as a breach in Gurram Cheruvu lake inundated the locality. Eyewitnesses informed that water came up to five feet, and there was a possibility of casualties.
The entire district administration, GHMC Commissioner D.S. Lokesh Kumar, Water Board MD M. Dana Kishore, Police and Irrigation officials descended on the location to monitor relief measures. A statement from GHMC informed that 2,100 families were evacuated from the Gurram Cheruvu flooding area on Saturday evening. The affected families were being given ration kits and blankets.
With Himayatsagar exceeding full tank level, HMWS&SB officials opened the flood gates and released water into river Musi, which was in spate, drowning the causeways at Chaderghat and Musarambagh yet again. Waist-deep water beneath Malakpet road underbridge hampered traffic, and areas on the eastern side were cut off from the rest of the city. Traffic came to a standstill on the Vijayawada highway for 5-km stretch, starting from Abdullahpurmet. The main road from Karmanghat up to Saroornagar was flooded with storm water arriving from Meerpet and Jillelaguda, posing grave danger to commuters. Several colonies in areas such as Nacharam, Mansurabad, Nagole, Karmanghat and other locations were inundated owing the flooding of nearby lakes. Water in Hussainsagar too exceeded full tank level, and is flowing through surplus nala towards Musi.
Singapore Township area near Ghatkesar received the maximum rainfall at 19.7 cm, followed by Peerzadiguda at 18 cm. Rocktown Colony in Nagole, Bhavaninagar, L.B.Nagar received over 17 cm, while localities such as Alkapuri, Habsiguda, IS Sadan, Ramantapur, Thattiannaram, Bandlaguda, Asmangadh, Shantinagar, Uppal, Rein Bazar, Lingojiguda, Shaikpet and other areas too received heavy rainfall upwards of 15 centimetres.
Disaster Response Force teams slogged in Hafiz Baba Nagar, Ramantapur, Meerpet, Nagole and several other locations, evacuating people using boats. GHMC has intensified sanitation and disinfection activities in the affected areas.
Voluntary organisations were involved in relief work on Sunday and provided food, candles, cooked food, blankets and mosquito coils to those marooned in Baba Nagar and parts of Nadeem Colony.
