By DEEPIKA PASHAM
Copyright deccanchronicle
Hyderabad: Hyderabad witnessed its highest flood flow in decades for a few hours on Saturday, as the combined discharge from the Himayatsagar and Osmansagar reservoirs reached 34,000 cusecs. After two days of continuous release, the HMWS&SB announced that the reservoir gates were being closed, bringing relief to residents living downstream. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, HMWS&SB managing director K. Ashok Reddy clarified, “The decision to open the gates is taken by the engineering department, not the administration. Each reservoir has an operation manual prepared during construction that guides inflow, outflow and gate operations.” Santhosh Kumar, general manager, transmission division–1 (Himayatsagar and Osmansagar), explained, “The gates are opened gradually after alerting all departments. We monitor forecasts through the IMD and TGDPS, supported by nearly 30 rain gauges. A two-hour advance alert is given to the police, municipal, revenue, HYDRAA and other departments. All officers are notified through a common WhatsApp group.” He said Osmansagar, which has a full reservoir level of 10 feet, was allowed to reach 9 feet, with all 15 gates opened on Friday before being reduced to 11 gates by 5 pm on Saturday. At Himayatsagar, 11 of the 17 gates were opened, and later reduced to 4. The reservoir has a total height of 20 feet, with inflows peaking at 6 feet. Officials noted that although the monsoon season is nearing its end, rainfall alerts continue to be crucial. Given MGBS’s central location on the Musi, HMWS&SB said timely warnings and alerts were issued to all relevant agencies and departments to mitigate flood impacts. Activists urge aid for 200 displaced families Hyderabad: Civil society organisations have urged authorities to provide immediate shelter and relief for over 200 families displaced by the sudden floods in low-lying colonies near the Musi river. In their representation to the Hyderabad district collector, GHMC, HYDRAA and HMWSSB, the groups demanded emergency shelters and relief supplies, while also calling for the revival of community-level warning systems through mosques, temples and loudspeakers. The floods on Friday night, triggered by the unannounced lifting of reservoir gates, submerged homes in Chaderghat’s Shankar Nagar, Kamal Nagar, Moosa Nagar and Vinayak Veedi. “The alerts never reached people on the ground. Families had no time to move to safety or save their belongings,” community representatives wrote. Water levels rose up to 9–10 feet in several areas, damaging houses, furniture and essential goods. “This is a huge loss for working-class families who built these assets over the years,” the letter stated. The groups urged the administration to open additional shelters, provide food, water, clothing, sanitation and medical aid, and involve the women and child welfare department to ensure the safety of women and children. They also requested health camps and vector control measures to prevent post-flood disease outbreaks. For long-term recovery, activists demanded a comprehensive damage assessment and adequate compensation. “The repeated lack of timely alerts has shaken public confidence,” the letter said, calling for urgent, coordinated and compassionate government action to prevent future distress.
