Heavy rains have been lashing Hyderabad and things have not been pretty. While the city enjoyed a public holiday on 2 October, the roads were waterlogged and even flyovers couldn’t escape the deluge.
The Punjagutta flyover was submerged in knee-deep water as commuters were stuck in water for a long time. 26-year-old Hosanna recounted the ordeal to The News Minute:
It was my worst nightmare. I was already drenched. The water was up to my knees. Since I was on a two-wheeler, I was forced to stand in the water, while the traffic was moving at snail pace. It took me more than two hours to reach my home.
As videos and pictures of the flooded flyover made its rounds on social media, people were left wondering how a flyover could be water-logged.
The Punjagutta flyover is an arterial road which cuts down the commute for those going from Begumpet to Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills. It’s used by several professionals who work in Hyderabad, but live in Secunderabad.
An executive engineer working for Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) opined that the flyover was likely flooded because it was not cleaned properly by the corporation workers.
The News Minute quoted him as saying:
These people are provided with trolleys to dump the soil and dust accumulated on the roads. But rather than disposing of the dust, they just broom the roads and leave the accumulated dust near the water outlets of the flyover, which would clog the water outlets. They do clean the roads diligently but do a half-hearted work. We have repeatedly educated them on what would happen if they don’t clear the soil on the roads. But they don’t pay heed to us.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)