The monsoons have arrived with a bang in the twin cities. And as usual the much-awaited rains also left a trail of destruction on the very first day.
The monsoons have arrived with a bang in the twin cities. And as usual the much-awaited rains not only brought relief from the scorching summer heat, but also left a trail of disruption and destruction on the very first day on Thursday.
The heavy downpour, which commenced at around 3 am, led to normal life going haywire within a few hours. Many colonies, especially in the low-lying areas, were inundated with knee-deep rain and sewerage water, and even the main roads, leave alone the lanes and bylanes, were flooded making them resemble rivulets and streams. And as expected the power supply in many areas went out.
Many areas in the twin cities including Jubilee Hills, Banjara Hills, Panjagutta, Madhapur, Mehidipatnam, Ameerpet, Malakpet, Begumpet, Alwal and Bowenpally recorded rainfall ranging between 7.5 and 9 cm. The rains were accompanied by heavy winds, thunder and lightning.
With the colonies inundated and roads flooded, the citizens encountered numerous difficulties right from the morning. Residents in many areas had to wade through knee-deep water to go and get their milk, breakfast items, vegetables etc. The havoc even led to the managements of several private schools declaring a holiday.
Motorists had a rough time manoeuvring the flooded roads to avoid open manholes and reach their destinations. There were many cases of motorcyclists and even cyclists falling and getting hurt. A woman was injured when a wall in Vanasthalipuram collapsed, and had to be rushed to a hospital. A private bus got stuck in the flooding water under the Malakpet bridge leading to disruption of traffic.
The GHMC officials in an unusual move advised the people not to venture in motorcycles and two-wheelers unless required as it would take a long time to drain out the water on the main roads. What is intriguing is that despite past experience, especially that in the last year when the rains caused a havoc all over the city, the state administration, especially the civic authorities, did not seem to have geared up to prevent the flooding of roads and colonies.
One of the main reasons for the roads getting flooded due to rains was non-removal of silt from sewerage pipes and drains. Though the state administration, especially the GHMC and the concerned minister K T Rama Rao, had assured all necessary steps to avert any problems to the citizens from heavy rains, it is clear they did not do much to deliver.
The citizens who had been praying for rains to escape the sweltering summer heat are now reeling under fear with the onset of the monsoons. They are now keeping their fingers crossed and hoping for a better shiny day.