Following the recent incessant rains in Hyderabad, that crammed several lakes at their length, the incidents of ‘breaching of bunds’ continue to pose a grave threat to the lives of people living close to water bodies in the. In a fresh such incident, a much argued-over and contentious ‘bund’ of Gurram Cheruvu Lake at Balapur near Barkas is the latest one that finally developed a breach last night causing fresh flood in several colonies of downward areas while fresh flood water robs the residents from their wherewithal in a fraction of a moment besides terrifying them.
It was around 1.30 am Yesterday night that the bund developed a breach unable to withstand the inflow from an upward direction. The fresh flood water took no time to unleash the mayhem in colonies such as Omer Colony, Hafiz Baba Nagar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Colony, and Phool Bagh beside Aaliya Garden.
Shouting and screaming are the first incidents being reported from nearby colonies after the fresh flood water with a horrendous sound enters into a downward direction breaching the bund. “We took upstairs quickly to the roof in order to protect ourselves as the flood water started swinging up in the streets and houses leaving no space to stand on the feet,” said terrified Mohd. Farook Ali, a resident of Hafiz Baba Nagar, B-Block.
People, he said, sleeping in their houses started getting up from slumber just to make it from where the herronues sound is coming from out of the blue. However, the gushing in floodwater forced them to run straight to the roofs to avoid any confrontation with the natures’ fury.
“The reverse flow created in the lake due to closure of the main bund has already wreaked havoc in the Barkas area where several streets have been inundated completely in the flood water for a week. However, the last night breach in the bund brings a sigh of relief to several affected families who were either residing inside the partially inundated houses or are shifted temporarily to the houses of their relatives,” explained Ahmed Bin Abdul Khader.
Meanwhile, the people of the Barkas area – that was partially submerged into the floodwater due to the closure of the main outlet of Gurrum Cheruvu Lake, feels a sigh of relief after the water quickly rescinded through the broken bund. They are, since the last one week, bearing the brunt of floodwater that clogged in their area due to closure of outflow channel submerging the houses in several streets up to knee level.
However, they express the same pain and agony for the shell shocked people of colonies in downward areas who have faced flood fury last night forced to smart under tribulations due to overnight flooding. “We share the same sorrow and grief with the people living on the other end of the lake as both of us were made to suffer the man-made disaster miraculously planned by some politicians for their selfish gains,” Ali Bin Sayeed Rizwan.
“Despite all efforts of some politicians to not to open the bund of Gurrum Cheruvu, unmindful of the grave danger where insignificant part of the Barkas area was already inundated since last one week, the outlet channel is finally demolished over the night Yesterday resulting in creating a flood-like situation in a downward direction,” explain Esa Bahajjaj, General Secretary Congress Committee Greater Hyderabad.
Blaming that the people of both the edges of the lake are paying the price of some vested interest politicians, he said, the local leaders have for sure have forgotten that they have been elected on the votes being cast by none other than the people they are putting presently into trouble and trauma for their selfish gains.
Urging the government to take up relief measures immediately on a war footing he said, arrangements should be made to protect other vulnerable areas near water bodies and provide necessary aid and assistance to the people already affected by flood-like disasters wherever they happened
.
Terming the incidents of ‘breaching of bunds’ every often as ‘Man-Made Disasters’ created out of encroachment over the water bodies closing the inlet and outlets all the way in the city, Dr.Lubna Sarwat, a right activist and General Secretary Socialist Party of India, said, “Till now the blissful water bodies like Gurram Cheruvu, Appa Cheruvu, Brahman Kunta Cheruvu, Palle cheruvu were caused mayhem due to the negligence of official and the other will follow suit if the officials continue to play spoilsport in preserving the natural resources.”
“The mindless encroachments over water bodies for monetary and political gains brought the lives of innocent people into misery. Politics based encroachments over the water bodies by choking the bunds and nalas, that bring profit to politicians and loss of life to citizens, are now resulting in life-threatening mass disasters,” She lamented.
“Dumping of landfills, blocking the bunds and inlets to make them dry land in order to sketch real-estate ventures over the sacred aqua sources are prevailing as usual despite disasters, when will this rogue adventurism over the water bodies going to see an end. As long as the rough adventurism continues, nature will also carry on wreaking havoc wherein only the innocent people will become primary victims,” she asserted.
