A few minutes of pre-dusk rain today and later in the night, has brought back a nightmare for people especially in the old city where several low-lying colonies were inundated and streets turned into quagmires as stagnant water disconnected the land route to other areas time and again.
Areas like Bandlaguda, Baba Nagar, Barkas, Salala, Shaheen, Nabeel Colony, Al-Jubael Colony and Jalpally are the primary affected pockets in the south due to quick rain that lasts not more than twenty minutes. Water stagnation was seen overpowered several streets in rain affected low lying areas where storm water remained stagnant to feet high and for almost two hours.
Following the hustle-bustle rain, people of several low lying areas in the city were seen flushing out the storm water gushed in their houses crushing the gate. Women and children were forced to drain out the gushed water with buckets and utensils.
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Though today’s rain holds sway over these areas not more than a few minutes, it is reminiscent of last year’s deluge before a shake off. Eschewing any mention of last year’s harrowing account of destruction especially around the water bodies would be unfair where people were ravaged completely by the flood fury for the first time after several decades.
Today’s rain has also turned the affected areas completely into vulnerable zones of mosquito menace that may lead to several waterborne diseases.
This short-lived rain brings back the fear among the people especially of those areas which have not yet come out of the trauma of last years’ deluge like Osman Nagar where hundreds of houses are still inundated while many of the tormented families remain displaced and living in state sponsored shelters of relatives.
It is not out of place to mention here that the municipality officials at Jalpally have recently begun reconstructing the Osman Nagar lake bund that developed a breach during last year’s flood. They even planned to promote the bund as a walking tract with other amusement components to facilitate the local people. However, even before the project gets into shape the rainy season sets into motion triggering a panic again among the people living around the lake in a dire strait.
Meanwhile, the rain that lash the city today for a few minutes before sun sets i.e. between 5.00 to 5.30 pm has returned back again a few hours later at 7.40 pm in the night prompting a shutdown power supply to several colonies. The rain gradually improves its frequency and continues till 8.40 pm bringing the city to standstill again for almost an hour.
