Hyderabad residents near Railway under Bridges (RuBs) face major problems every time it rains heavily. They are asking the local government to fix the flooding issue at these spots permanently.
Every monsoon, people living near these bridges suffer significant losses. Water from a nearby canal floods streets and enters homes. Residents in Malakpet, Azampura, Yakutpura, and Talab Katta in the GHMC Charminar zone experience serious troubles during rainy weather. A canal next to these RuBs overflows, causing flooding in the area. Around three to four feet of rainwater fills these bridges, leading to road closures.
In places like Talab Katta RuB, Yakutpura, Ganga Nagar, Azampura, and Malakpet, water levels rise to four feet or more during heavy rains. Other RuBs in Lingampally, Katedan, Mettuguda, Secunderabad, Alugadda Bavi, Bible Track, and elsewhere also get flooded every monsoon. Despite this, no lasting solutions have been implemented by the civic body.
Mohammed Ahmed, a local activist, notes that the canals are narrower due to unplanned construction, worsening the problem. Large amounts of waste float on the water, causing further flooding. He blames the civic body for not clearing debris and cleaning the canals thoroughly, leading to overflows at RuBs.
Ahmed also mentions that over the years, only temporary fixes have been made. He fears conditions will remain unchanged this year. Recent rains led to four feet of water at these RuBs, causing traffic delays until the water was drained.
Residents say these areas flood every monsoon, yet the civic body hasn’t provided a permanent solution. Chandrashekar from Chaderghat and Shahid Ali highlight damages to homes, furniture, and electronics due to early monsoon rains.
Although desilting is part of the monsoon action plan, the work isn’t thorough enough. The GHMC only removes about two feet of silt, leaving debris that blocks water flow, causing flooding at RuBs and in local areas, Ahmed stresses.
Local authorities claim they have taken steps to address the flooding. However, since RuBs fall under both civic and railway authorities, only the civic-related tasks have been completed to reduce water issues.
