Hyderabad Hit by Sudden Downpour, Red Alert Issued for 5 Days as Heavy Rains Cause Chaos and Waterlogging

The sudden downpour has created havoc across the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad in Telangana, which had been experiencing normal rainfall over the past few days. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert and predicted heavy rains in the twin cities for the next 5 days.

The capital city has been witnessing heavy rains for the past three days. The IMD attributes the present rains to a low-pressure area formed under the influence of cyclonic circulation over the West-central and adjoining North-western Bay of Bengal off North Andhra-South Odisha coasts.

The ongoing monsoon season has added to the woes. Commuters have been facing a tough time with bumper-to-bumper vehicular movement on roads for more than two hours at key areas in Hyderabad, including Ikea Junction, HiTec City, and Cable Bridge over Durgam Cheruvu.

Which Areas Are Worst Hit

Areas such as Begumpet, Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Ranigunj, Hussian Sagar tank bund, Ameerpet, Saroor Nagar, Malakpet, Borabanda, Bahadurpura, and Toli Chowki are severely inundated.

Additionally, areas, including Sardar Mahal, Charminar, Malakpet, Saroor Nagar, Rajendra Nagar, Khairatabad, Secunderabad, Bahadurpura, Golconda, Himayatnagar, Nampally, LB Nagar, Shaikpet, BHEL, Asifnagar, Jubilee Hills, Balanagar, Kukatpally, Miyapur, and Yusufguda received more than four centimeters of rainfall in a half-hour downpour.

Life Comes to a Halt

People also faced similar situations during peak morning hours, when most of them were on their way to their workplaces. Most of the roads they traveled witnessed severe traffic jams, and vehicular movement on some roads was at a snail’s pace. The low-lying areas in the twin cities were marooned with floodwater.

Residents of localities falling under low-lying areas tried their best to remove the floodwater that entered their houses using buckets and other vessels but all efforts were in vain. The Great Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) cautioned people not to come out of their houses until the rains subsided.

GHMC staff has been in the process of removing uprooted trees in various localities. The authorities concerned have released some water from the Hussain Sagar, but they are on tenterhooks after witnessing a rise in the inflows to the lake. Many people from the twin cities have been requesting the authorities to announce school holidays in view of the heavy rains expected in the coming days.