HYDRAA officials directed to clear blocked drains as flooding hits Hyderabad’s Jeedimetla, Kukatpally
Hyderabad: Hyderabad Disaster Management and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) Commissioner A.V. Ranganath has directed officials to take decisive measures to prevent stormwater drain overflow in the city. He highlighted that removing existing obstructions in the drains is crucial to controlling urban flooding.
On Thursday, the commissioner inspected several major drains and flood-prone areas amid the ongoing rainy season. After witnessing extensive encroachments firsthand, he immediately ordered their removal. He pointed out that during heavy rains, the Kukatpally and Jeedimetla drains pose greater flooding risks than even the Musi river catchment area. Due to poor flow in these drains, neighborhoods including Bharat Nagar, Moosapet, Balanagar, Jinkalawada, Deendayal Nagar, Vinayak Nagar, and Kalyan Nagar have experienced flooding. Commissioner Ranganath stressed that preventing such flooding this year is a collective responsibility.
Encroachments Affect More Than Half of the Drains
During his inspection of the stormwater channel from Fox Sagar in Jeedimetla, the commissioner noted that encroachments have significantly narrowed the drain. Originally about 30 meters wide, the drain’s width decreases sharply near culverts and slum settlements. For example, the drain near the culvert at Balanagar Jinkalawada and Deendayal Nagar, which should be 22 meters wide, has shrunk to roughly 10 meters in places.
Ideally, the drain should maintain a 22-meter width with an additional 9-meter buffer zone on either side, totaling 40 meters. This reduction in width has caused flooding across the Jeedimetla stretch, particularly affecting Fatehnagar and Balanagar slum areas. Commissioner Ranganath ordered a drone survey of the drain from Jeedimetla and called for immediate removal of all encroachments. He also instructed officials to clear silt dumped in the drain beneath Fox Sagar lake.
Encroachments and Blockages at Nagireddy Kunta
The commissioner also inspected Nagireddy Kunta lake in Yapral, Alwal Mandal, where nearly 6 acres of the 19-acre lake have been encroached upon. He ordered removal of the soil dumped in the lake bed. Additionally, he examined stormwater channels flowing from Nagireddy Kunta to Kapra lake, which have been diverted and encroached at multiple points, leading to blockages.
In gated communities such as Golf Pride Homes, Malabar Greens Villas, Haripriya Nagar, Golf View Paradise, and Swarnandhra Phase 01 and 02, the natural watercourses have been rerouted or obstructed. The commissioner underscored that the drain width at its origin must be maintained consistently until it joins Kapra lake and called for steps to restore this continuity.
He announced an upcoming meeting with residents of these colonies to discuss the original drain paths and the restoration measures required. Following his directions, work to construct a drain diverting floodwaters away from Swarnandhra Phase 01 in Yapral was completed promptly with cooperation from local officials.
