Civic officials have created a channel to drain water from the Shukursagar lake that has flooded homes in Osman Nagar, Shaheen Nagar, Sauf Colony and parts of Renukapur.
“The water from the lake is draining but it is too slow. It is like taking water out of a bucket with a small mug,” said a resident whose house is still under water. Residents alleged that water was being let out from one side of the lake and was just to benefit one colony that is built on the other side of the lake near Renukapur village.
The flood waters have backed up into homes in Osman Nagar, which are more than 100 metres from where the lake was during summer months.
According to the estimate of the civic body, 281 houses are under water. But the local residents say that about 1,000 families are affected due to the flooding. Visitors to the area are being mobbed by people who have been rendered homeless for the past one month. Most of them have moved out to rented premises or relatives’ homes while others are spending daytime near their homes to guard against thieves and vandals.
Lakes in Telangana region have sluice gates called tumb as well a mechanism for overflow of water without intervention called chader . “Civic officials have dug a two-feet channel to let out the water on the chader . They should open the smaller sluice gate only then the water will drain so that residents can come back to their homes,” said Muhammad Veqar Hussain, an advocate who is lobbying for releasing more water from the lake.
The Osman Nagar colony has been developed in a natural valley where the lowest point is at 548 metres above sea level (MSL) while the road that runs around the area is at 557 MSL.
The embankment or the bund holding the water is at a level of 551 MSL, while the valley below the bund has a sheer drop of 543 MSL.
This undulating terrain has led to fears about uncontrolled release of water affecting colonies downstream leading to posting of a police picket to guard the embankment against vandals over the past one week.
The bowl-shaped character of the lake has led to fears that the water will take a long time to drain.
