Hyderabad is taking action to stop urban flooding and improve water drainage during heavy rains. The Hyderabad Disaster Management and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) started tearing down illegal buildings along the IDL nala and Balkapur nala. The operations are heavily guarded by police to ensure safety.
Locals complained about illegal structures causing their neighborhoods to flood. In response, HYDRAA Commissioner AV Ranganath and other officials inspected these areas. On Friday, the Commissioner personally oversaw the demolition work, making sure all departments worked together to clear the nalas and reduce flood risks.
The Balkapur nala begins at Balkapur Lake in Shankarpally and runs through the IT corridors into the city at Chintalbasthi. It then passes through Thummalabasthi and Khairtabad before joining Hussain Sagar. Encroachments had shrunk its width from 8 meters to just 5 meters between Thummalabasti and Anandanagar, leading to flooding during rains. On Friday, HYDRAA removed a fence put up by the Sridhar function hall and gave other establishments time to clear their illegal structures. Crews also cleared debris from a culvert at the Khairtabad intersection.
At IDL nala, illegal buildings had reduced its width from 7 meters to only 2 meters, causing floods in Habib Nagar, Srihari Nagar, and Shivshakti Nagar. Two illegally built function halls were demolished, and measures were taken to ensure water flows freely through the nala.
