Hyderabad’s ₹667 crore nala project stuck at 10% progress

HYDERABAD: Every monsoon, lakhs of families in the city suffer flood-related losses, yet civic authorities are still unable to provide a permanent solution. Officials continue to announce ambitious plans to clear encroachments on stormwater drains and expand nalas, but most works stall after they float tenders.

Strategic nala development phase two begins but barely moves

The Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP) entered its second phase last year with an estimated cost of ₹667 crore. Officials admit that progress has been limited to just 10%. In contrast, phase one works launched in 2021 saw 80% completion by 2023, but even those remain unfinished due to land acquisition issues.

A joint survey by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), revenue and irrigation departments found that they must remove 12,000 encroachments to address 80% of the city’s inundation problem. Then chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao assured that they would give affected families compensation and two-bedroom houses.. But resistance from locals halted the demolition drive.

Expansion plans for nalas connected to Surram Cheruvu, Kamuni Cheruvu, Maisamma Cheruvu, Pariki Cheruvu and Patel Cheruvu have not advanced. Committees led by Kirloskar and Voyants suggested widening existing 3–5 metre drains to 21 metres in a single stretch. Engineers, however, expressed their inability to execute such expansion since apartments and houses stand along the nalas.