By Nabinder Bommala

Copyright deccanchronicle

Hyderabad:Encroachments on nalas and water bodies, poor desilting and sluggish execution of drainage works have drastically reduced the capacity of lakes, triggering urban flooding that has claimed lives and caused widespread property damage.Several major nalas have been choked by encroachments. At Afzalsagar nala in Asifnagar, two people were washed away after the flow was diverted by houses built right on the channel, creating a bottleneck that pushed water onto the road. In Musheerabad’s Vinobhanagar nala, another life was lost due to civic apathy. The Ashoknagar nala, the channel linking Yousufguda and Ameerpet, and the nala at Ambedkar Basti in Banjara Hills are further examples of watercourses that have been systematically encroached upon over the years.The violations include both commercial and residential structures. At Ashoknagar Nala, parts of several buildings stand precariously on the stream, supported only by loose mud and construction debris. While authorities occasionally launch demolition drives, they have largely targeted small structures, sparing large multistoreyed complexes that encroach on full tank levels (FTLs) and buffer zones of lakes.The reasons are familiar: builders securing stay orders from courts, obtaining no-objection certificates from departments or exploiting corrupt officials in the GHMC, HMDA and other urban local bodies who turn a blind eye.Adding to the crisis is the shoddy desilting of nalas. In several cases, the removed silt was left along the banks and washed back into the channels with the next rain. Meanwhile, the construction of box drains, a critical measure for managing stormwater, is progressing at a snail’s pace, further exposing the city to flooding risks.