Rains bring misery to city people
Flooding, property damage hits Raghava Enclave residents
While rain is a source of pure joy for some, it is nothing but sorrow for others. It may be “rain, rain, come again” song for some. However, residents in Raghava Enclave on Transport Road, Secunderabad, on the other hand, are unlikely to sing this song. Indeed, the rainy season has turned out to be an irritant, reminding Raghava Enclave residents of inundation and the disasters they bring with them. With the onset of monsoon, residents are a worried lot.
They fear that every time it rains, their lives will be severely disrupted as water stagnates, flooding their houses, destroying property, and wreaking havoc. A few residences are situated on a downhill-sloping lane. A wall separates this lane from the backyard of another property at the end of the lane. When it rains, water from the uphill lanes stagnates near this wall, finally entering the house on the opposite side through a few small outlets, which authorities from the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) claim work as a remedy.
The outlet is too tiny to manage the massive intake of water, resulting in stagnation and, as a result, increased wall pressure. “Every time it rains, the space outside my home transforms into a pool,” says Abhishek Behl, a resident of Raghava Enclave. The magnitude of the loss is enormous. One of my cars had to be scrapped after rainwater ruined the electrical control unit. When there’s a heavy downpour, the water also floods our home, destroying property and electrical appliances. I have lodged multiple complaints on the government’s echhawani app. They say an engineer will attend to the issue shortly and then, the complaints are closed without any resolution.”
Surendra, whose residence is behind the wall and is flooded by overflowing water from the outlet, said, “I agreed when they wanted outlet holes made in the back wall of my house because people were suffering due to water stagnation and this was the only temporary remedy at the time.
Every time it rains, water floods our backyard and sometimes, our house. I've told my neighbours on the other side that they need to find a permanent solution to this problem because I have to pay through my nose every time water enters my house.”
“Ever since the common wall crumbled, we've been having sleepless nights. If it rains, we fear a replay of that incident. Although SCB authorities wanted to dig deeper and build outlet pipes here, I refused since my drain pipes are in that area of the house, and I'm afraid that if they install outlet pipes underground and they leak, it would affect the foundation of my house.”
Another Raghava Enclave resident, Jithender Reddy, claims that the problem is not new and has existed for years. “This issue is not something new. We’ve had this for many years. However, as more residences have been built, the problem has become worse. We’ve also presented the engineers with several options. A wall built at the beginning of this alley, for example, would prevent such a massive inflow of water. They simply pay a visit and promise a solution, but they make no attempt to resolve the issue.”
Dr Ajay Kumar, another resident, said, “I have spent about `8 lakh to reconstruct walls and restore damage caused by this inside my house. However, no recompense or solution has been provided to me. Even worse, stagnant water causes drain to overflow, resulting in sewage water entering our homes.”
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, in-charge engineer Gopala Dass said, “I visited the place a few months ago and have prepared a budget to tackle the issue. We intend to construct trenches in such a way that water running downhill is redirected back to the main highways, preventing any stagnation. I have submitted plans to the SCB in this regard. We have also issued tenders in this regard. However, we will have to wait a few months for a solution.”
On the issue of outlet holes, he said water stagnates only for a few hours and causes no substantial damage. The official, on the other hand, disputed that the walls had collapsed.
On the condition of anonymity, another official from the SCB’S health and sanitation department said, “I’m aware of the problem and have been to the place several times. It is an engineering issue, which I have brought to the notice of the people concerned. Nonetheless, I’m baffled as to why nothing was done to correct the situation. Although I know the probable solution for this, I am not in a position to enforce it. As drain water rushes into the houses, there is a growing health concern in addition to safety. I'm hoping that something is done before the monsoon arrives.”
Ajit Reddy, SCB CEO, stated that he was unaware of the issue and that he would look into it.