For the second time in less than a week, the highways connecting Hyderabad to Vijayawada, Bengaluru and Warangal were damaged, bringing vehicular traffic to a halt.
Even before the authorities could fully repair and restore the roads damaged due to the torrential rains and flash floods of October 13-14, a fresh spell of heavy rains battered the roads in the city and outskirts on Saturday night.
Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway after a stretch of the road was damaged at Inamguda on the city outskirts. Police said the Lashkar Guda lake overflowed after the heavy rains, inundating the highway.
The authorities took up emergency repair of the damaged highway and regulated the traffic.
Meanwhile, the Hyderabad-Bengaluru highway was again damaged at Gaganpahad, affecting the movement of vehicles on the road which also connects the city to the Hyderabad International Airport at Shamshabad.
Water from overflowing lakes in the area inundated and damaged the highway. Cyberabad Police appealed to people going to the airport to use Outer Ring Road (ORR).
Vehicles coming from Kurnool and Bengaluru are also being diverted to take the ORR at Tondupally.
The rains also affected the movement of vehicles on the Hyderabad-Warangal highway. Police were diverting vehicles coming to Hyderabad from Warangal and Yadadri Bhuvangiri through the ORR at Ghatkesar.
Within the city, police have closed some roads for traffic or imposed restrictions due to the inundation and damage. The Malakpet Road Under Bridge, Ganndianaram-Shiva Ganga road, Moosarambagh causeway, Chaderghat causeway, Puranapul 100 feet road, Bandlaguda road and Falaknuma Road Over Bridge were shut for traffic.
Torrential rains and flash floods in Hyderabad have affected over 37,000 families, a top civic official said on Sunday.
The heavy rains and floods on October 13-14 and again on October 17 inundated many areas, affecting 37,400 families.
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Commissioner Lokesh Kumar said due to heavy rains on October 13, various localities were inundated and about 35,309 families were affected.
Another 2,100 families were evacuated to safer places on October 17.
He said that the GHMC intensified relief operations and were taking steps to bring back normalcy in inundated areas. Zonal Commissioners, Additional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners are in the field and monitoring the relief operations and distribution of the Chief Minister’s relief kits to the affected people.
Since the weather office has forecast more rains in the next couple of days, the GHMC, as a precautionary measure, is evacuating residents of low-lying areas.
The official said the CM’s relief ration kits, along with 3 blankets, totally worth Rs 2,800, are being distributed to the affected families. Till now 20,000 ration kits and blankets were distributed, and remaining kits and blankets will be distributed soon. Similarly milk, bread, and biscuits are also being distributed among the affected.
The authorities also distributed 90,000 meals during lunch time and 60,000 meals for dinner.
The engineering wing and Disaster Response Force (DRF) teams are pumping out water from the apartment cellars and inundated colonies. As 72 teams and 106 water pumps from the engineering and maintenance side and 170 monsoon teams with 202 water pumps are engaged in the activity.
In order to contain water-borne and vector-borne diseases, the entomology and DRF teams are taking up activities like anti-larva operations, and spraying of bleaching powder and sodium hypochlorite in the cellars and inundated areas.
Thirty tankers, each from the DRF and fire services, were pressed into service for spraying the sodium hypochlorite.
Meanwhile, Director, Enforcement, Vigilance & Disaster Management, Viswajit Kampati personally supervised DRF rescue operations in Hafiz Baba Nagar in Chandrayangutta.
“DRF teams rescued over 500 citizens from this area alone and 2,500 citizens in the city and moved them to safety. We are striving to reach out to every citizen in need in the shortest time possible time,” he tweeted.
Cyberabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar also visited flood-affected areas. He reviewed the situation at Rajendra Nagar, Gagan Pahad village pond, Old Kurnool Road and Ali Nagar area.
-IANS
