GHMC does a good job

​Hyderabad: In a rear-guard action, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Electricity department, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) and other departments swung into action and restored normalcy within hours after rain lashed the city from 3:45 am on Friday.

The rain, which lasted for about an hour, brought down the temperature substantially. The city received 7.1 cm rain. It uprooted 315 trees and damaged roads to great extent and water stagnation was witnessed in 220 places.

Rajshekar, a resident of Krishnanagar, said trees, which were uprooted in the wee hours due to strong wind, were cleared by 11 am.

“For once, the officials were quick on their feet,” he said. The GHMC pressed into service 20,000 sanitation workers who cleared uprooted trees and repaired manholes.

The HMWS&SB restored damaged water pumping stations and deployed its workforce to clean debris from manholes ensuring free flow of rain water. Huge trees were uprooted in Begumpet, Tank Bund, Marredpally, Warasiguda, Sainikpuri, Dilsukhnagar and other parts of the city.

Begumpet received the highest rainfall whereas Chandrayangutta received zero rainfall. The traffic police too had their work cut out as 2,500 policemen made sure that traffic flow was not affected. GHMC commissioner B Janardhan Reddy was quick to acknowledge the efforts of Horticulture department in the cleaning-up work.

Volunteers would be deployed in slums and wards as part of disaster management practice, he said. In the meanwhile, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted hailstorms in the next two days.

HMWS&SB director G Rameshwar said that the stagnant water was pumped into storm water drains. He assured the citizens that they would receive normal drinking water supply from Saturday.