Himayat Sagar floods: Hyderabad families demand relief, compensation

HYDERABAD: Members of Hyderabad Civil Society and residents of flood-hit colonies in Chaderghat have urged the government to provide urgent relief and compensation after they said sudden flooding on September 26, 2025, was caused by the unannounced release of water from Himayat Sagar reservoir.

The residents from Shankar Nagar, Kamal Nagar, Moosa Nagar and Vinayak Veedi submitted an appeal to authorities stating that the water release around 21.00 IST inundated low-lying areas with water levels rising up to 9–10 feet.

The appeal noted that despite earlier representations to the mayor and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) commissioner for advance warnings, no timely alerts reached affected communities.

‘No time to move belongings’

“Although it was reported in the press that 12 gates of Osman Sagar and 9 gates of Himayat Sagar were lifted and the Water Board issued alerts, these did not meaningfully reach us,” the residents said. “Without in-person warnings, families lost crucial time to shift to safer locations.”

Residents said the flooding caused extensive damage to homes and household goods including refrigerators, televisions, furniture and cooking vessels. “For working poor families, these represent years of savings,” the appeal added.

Relief, health and rehabilitation sought

The representation requested immediate shelters for nearly 200 displaced families, provision of food, drinking water, clothing, sanitation and medical care, and coordination with the Women and Child Welfare Department for sheltering women and children.

The signatories also sought health camps and vector-control drives to prevent outbreaks of waterborne diseases. For the medium term, they demanded a comprehensive damage assessment survey followed by adequate compensation for structural losses and household goods.

Call for accountability and early warnings

The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) received the appeal to restore the earlier practice of public announcements through mosques, temples and loudspeaker systems before releasing water from reservoirs. It also suggested creating a community-level early warning system involving GHMC, Disaster Management Authority, Water Board and local leaders.