Hafiz Baba Nagar witnessed a total flood, with the water washing rickshaws and cars through the streets.
Abdul Qader, a resident of Hafiz Baba Nagar in Hyderabad’s old city, saw a live Facebook from his local corporation on Saturday night, warning people in his colony to move to higher ground. Qader, who lives with his family consisting of his wife, six children and others, lived on the ground floor.
“They had been saying the water could overflow for three days, so I didn’t take it seriously,” he says. At around 1.30 am, the water began to rise in front of his house. In a matter of 20 minutes, it had completely submerged the ground floor. Qader’s 81-year-old mother had to be physically lifted to the second floor, as before they could salvage anything from her home, the water had even entered the first floor.
His home is almost 2.5 km from Lake Balapur, known locally as Gurram Cheruvu, the bulk of which broke on Saturday night, flooding the surrounding settlements with strong currents. Qader estimates a loss of Rs 6 lakh in property.
Videos of the incident on social networks showed the strong current of the water, which dragged tricycles and even cars with it, through the streets of the colony.
The bund of Lake Balapur collapsed. #HyderabadFloods pic.twitter.com/vbHp5EIaT1
– Naseer Giyas (@NaseerGiyas) October 17, 2020
“It was shortly after 1:30 a.m. when the bundle broke and people were alerted through the mosque’s loudspeakers at 2 a.m. The flow of water in the streets was already getting heavy at dusk. . When it started to rain and when the bundle broke, the water gushed out, “he says.
Around the same time that the bundle broke, Syed Shafi, the owner of Deccan Tours and Mobile, a small shop across from the bundle, saw the full force of the water rushing into his store.
“I was standing on top of a building and watching the water rush into my tent. There is nothing left to save. I estimate 50,000 rupees worth losses. When we were children, we used to fish where the package is. Authorities I built the bund and closed three ways where the water would flow. Now there is only one exit, which is in front of my store, “he says.
“When the lump gave way, all the hyacinth that was above the water came out and blocked the sewage. The water could not pass through the sewage and flowed into the colony,” he added.
Locals say that in some places, the water levels were almost 10 feet high
Read: Hyderabad rains trigger flash floods in Baba Nagar area, rescue teams on site
Syed Shafi’s neighbor owns a plastics store. When TNM visited the venue, the duo were busy scraping nearly an inch of mud off the floor of their outlets. Since Sunday morning, the duo were using the same overflowing water that flooded their stores, to clean the place.
Behind Shafi’s shop, the first house you see is Ashraf Unisa’s. His family lives in rented premises and the rent is Rs 10,000. They say they couldn’t save a single thing because the water came in quickly and without warning.
The building is still under construction and only the ground floor was completed. With the water rising beyond the first floor, they had to rush to the roof, where they began to get soaked from the rain. However, his neighbors intervened by lowering a ladder to the ceiling and rescuing the family.
Ashraf and her sister Azmath Unisa survived on a sewing machine for a living, and that no longer exists.
Two blocks away, a merchant who sold imported products was assessing the damage to his establishment. Many of their products are now useless as they were soaked in water.
“Right now, we are still assessing the damage we have suffered. Once we know our losses individually, we will discuss as a community and see what we can do,” he says.
Locals say they don’t expect water levels to drop anytime soon. With authorities forecasting heavy rains in the coming days, residents say the water will flow towards Hafiz Baba Nagar, as it is a low-lying area. They do not have electricity or drinking water and all have lost their food. Volunteers have stepped in to provide relief even when Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) authorities were apparently absent.
In videos: vehicles washed away, houses flooded as heavy rains hit Hyderabad again
Residents also said they anticipated the situation. According to sources, on October 15 there was a protest by the residents of Hafiz Baba Nagar when the bund Gurram Cheruvu was opened, as the locals anticipated flooding in case of heavy rains. With the incident on Saturday, they say their worst fears came true.
Lubna Sarwath of Save our Urban Lakes (SOUL) noted that blockage of channels between bodies of water was the main reason for the flooding.
“The channels between Lake Balapur upstream and Lake Gurram Cheruvu, adjacent to Hafiz Baba Nagar, are invaded. The Gurram Cheruvu canals leading to the Musi River are also blocked. Instead of cleaning these canals to facilitate the free flow of water, the government is doing nothing. “
He also added that the area had been flooded since the last three days due to the rains and pointed out that the government could have used water jet machines and pump water from the colonies before the situation worsened.
He also added that as early as 2019, Chandrashekar Goud, a Mandal Revenue Office (MRO) had filed a complaint for encroachments on Gurram Cheruvu Lake at the Balapur police station, but there has been no update on the matter.
As TNM passed through the colony, people were seen leaving the area. People were waiting for some form of transport to leave or packing things they could save into bags.
“We have to find another place to stay for rent. With a large family, we will not get a rent for lower rates. We have to continue living in places where these types of incidents will occur. We have no other choice,” Ashraf Says Unisa.
Meanwhile, the leader of Chandrayangutta MLA and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Akbaruddin Owaisi, along with Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar, visited Hafiz Baba Nagar on Sunday morning to take stock of the situation. The authorities have also promised to compensate those affected by the flood.
Read: Field report: days later, floods still have not receded from Hyderabad settlement
With input from Rajeswari Parasa
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