The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Nadeem Colony bears the brunt

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Sunday, Aug 10, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Nadeem Colony bears the brunt

Boats pressed into service to shift residents stranded in the inundated locality

- PHOTOs: NAGARA GOPAL

No respite: A view of the marooned Nadeem Colony on Saturday.

HYDERABAD: Clutching an infant, a pensive Khatija Bi stared at water. Next sat her mother-in-law, the worry lines on her face deeply set. Another elderly woman steadied herself in the corner. They are travellers on a boat pressed into service to shift residents stranded in the inundated locality.

That is Nadeem Colony a little distance away from Toli Chowki.

When rain gods turn benevolent and open the skies, the travails of residents here begin.

The low-lying colony, with several gradients from the main road leading to it, gets inundated and as the water level swells, there is no escape. And during incessant rains as witnessed for the last few days, it is the only part of the city that had boats on the flooded streets for evacuation.

Five persons pull the Tourism Department boat to a corner and once the three women with the infant climb out, drag it back into the lane to bring out more.

Regular affair

“Whenever it rains continuously, we are scared. All our belongings are at risk and our worries are more for the children,” laments Rasheed.

One has to wade through water that rises above waist level at many points and the residents clearly are concerned about children stepping out. Is there no respite, should we suffer this way every monsoon, asks one.

Youngsters from nearby colonies joined the efforts to shift families from the inundated parts.

Scenes on witness included some walking out with children in arms and bags comprising precious belongings on head . “I am going to my sister’s place near Salar Jung colony. We will return once the water subsides and the place become liveable,” says Atiya.

Chaos on streets

Meanwhile, many parts of the city witnessed chaos on the streets due to the rains. Water logging was the common scene and peeled off roads and scare of open manholes had the motorists on tenterhooks.

It being the weekend and holiday on account of second Saturday, the vehicular movement was thin, but whoever was forced to brave the splash was clearly a nervous soul.

Traffic was stuck badly from just ahead of Mehdipatnam till Rethi Bowli.

All along the upcoming Elevated Expressway, the vehicles struggled to make progress and once at the Rethi Bowli intersection, landed into a cesspool where the depth was hard to fathom.

Many two-wheelers skid and fell while cars and heavy vehicles had tough time wading through the water.

Few traffic police personnel tried their best to guide the drivers but much of the effort went in vain. The Punjagutta stretch from Nagarjuna Circle which in recent times acquired two new fly-overs too had some anxious moments to offer for those using the service road.

The stretch peeled at several places and construction material spreading out with rain water turned driving into a precarious exercise.

Similar scenes were replayed at many other places including Kondapur, parts of Jubilee Hills main road and Banjara Hills too.

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