Council debates on stormwater drain planning, de-silting operations

The Hindu

04-06-2025

A major planning flaw in the construction of storm water box drains as part of the Strategic Nala Development Programme is resulting in the inundation of the colonies on the lower end of the drains.
The issue was flagged by the council members of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation on Wednesday, during the general body meeting.
Corporator from Gaddiannaram division Baddam Prem Maheshwar Reddy pointed out that the engineers ought to have widened the drains from the lower end to the upper end. Instead, they chose to go the other way round, due to which the low-lying areas are facing the brunt.
'As the drain is widened in the upper reaches, its capacity is enhanced, and all the sewage and silt flowing in it are getting deposited in our colonies where the drain capacity is limited, hence resulting in inundation,' Mr. Prem Maheshwar Reddy complained.
Kothapet corporator Naikoti Pavan Kumar too echoed this view, when he pointed out the issue of inundation faced by residents around RK Puram due to flood water arriving from LB Nagar through the newly enhanced 900 mm dia pipeline. The outlet in Alkapuri drain which is receiving the flows is not properly aligned, leading to inundation, he said.
Member of Parliament Eatala Rajender raised the issue of double bedroom housing units remaining vacant at several locations and advised the government to shed the mental block of prime real estate which works against accessible housing for the poor. He also advocated for sewerage and stormwater pipelines with a planning for coming 20-30 years, as road cutting component is more expensive than the pipeline. Separation of stormwater drains from sewerage lines is the need of the hour as mixing of both is increasing the burden on the sewage treatment plants.
'Building permissions should be issued based on the carrying capacity of the sewage lines,' he said. Citing instances of inundation in Qutbullahpur and Moula Ali, he said carrying capacity of the drains has been compromised. He also stressed on devising alternatives for the unmanned railway crossings, and advised the authorities to focus on creating roads where they are not available rather than repairs to the roads where they exist.
Several complaints were raised by members about absence of de-silting operations till now. BJP member Shankar Yadav said only 10-12% of de-silting operations have been completed this year so far, while pointing out the inundation due to blockage of Afzal Sagar canal due to trash.
MIM corporator Mirza Saleem Baig raised questions about non-functioning streetlight, and asked why tenders had not been called earlier, when the officials knew that the agreement with the Energy Efficiency Services Limited for operation and maintenance of streetlighting would end on April 30. He claimed that 50-60% of the lights were not functioning.
MLA Mohammed Majid Hussain flagged the issue of transfer stations overflowing with unlifted garbage due to the 'solid waste concessionaire refusing to lift unless paid'. With Bakrid around the corner, if trash is not lifted, it will be dumped in front of GHMC zonal offices, he threatened.
GHMC Commissioner R.V. Karnan attributed the issue to the trouble between the concessionaire agency and its vendors, and assured to sort it out soon.
Questions were also raised about the status of sports complexes, non-lifting of green waste, advertising policy and others. Newly elected MLC Vijaya Shanthi attended the council meeting for the first time, drawing attention.
The meeting observed two minute silence for the victims of Pahalgam terrorist attack and Gulzar Houz fire accident.