Hyderabad's IT corridor records heavy rainfall

It rained more than 70 mm in less than four hours in Madhapur as the skies opened up after a brief lull on Monday, dragging the glitzy IT hub of Hyderabad to its knees in water. 

Beginning around noon in different areas across the city, the clouds, however, soon began converging over the IT hub. Even as there was moderate rainfall and trees being uprooted over cars in other areas, it was Madhapur, Kukatpally and adjoining areas that bore the brunt of what appeared to be a cloudburst, though weather department officials said they had no information on any such incidence.

At Durgam Cheruvu, Medicover Hospital and Prakrithi Nagar in Madhapur, and at AIG Hospitals, Gachibowli, Hitec City signals, ESI Metro Station and along a few roads in Jubilee Hills, the water level touched two feet.

Techies and other office-goers on their way back after work were stuck in the traffic for more than two hours. With roads being covered under sheets of muddy water, several two-wheelers had a tough time negotiating potholes and dangerous open drainages as well.

The strong winds that accompanied the showers saw trees being uprooted and falling over cars, damaging them badly at different places, including at Rajeev Nagar in Moti



Nagar.

According to the Telangana State Development Planning Society (TSDPS), Madhapur recorded the highest rainfall of 72.3 mm till 6 pm followed by Jubilee Hills (70 mm), Khajaguda (68.5 mm), Kakatiya Hills (62.7 mm) and Kukatpally (61.8 mm).

Traffic gridlocked The cascading effect of the consequent waterlogging was traffic snarls all along the IT Corridor and across the city, including Patny, Ranigunj, Jubilee Hills, Banjara Hills, Masab Tank and Afzalgunj.

With water levels on the main road in Jubilee Hills and Madhapur surging, the Traffic Police were forced to divert traffic at several places from Jubilee Hills Check Post, Madhapur and so on. The GHMC’s DRF teams had a tough time clearing several water stagnation points.

Meanwhile, India Meteorological Department officials said the skies would remain cloudy with light rain or drizzle in the city in the next two days. The Southwest Monsoon was still prevailing over the State and was likely to withdraw by mid-October, they said.