In the middle of October, people across India were startled by horrific videos of flooding in Hyderabad. One video from the Falaknuma area ...
In the middle of October, people across India were startled by horrific videos of flooding in Hyderabad. One video from the Falaknuma area showed a man being swept away by the gushing water. Others showed cars bobbing around like rubber ducks in a bathtub. The city’s administrators said that the rainfall between October 14 and October 21 was so intense, the city’s drainage system did not have the capacity to handle it.
That would have been a credible claim if the waterlogging had been a one-off phenomenon. But Hyderabadis complain that the city has begun to flood routinely over the past decade, irrespective of the quantum of rainfall.
Among the key reasons for this regular waterlogging is the rapid concretisation of the city, as buildings take over open spaces, nalas, tanks, ponds and lakes. This concretisation is the result of municipal policies relating to development, roads, transport, buildings and real estate, dictated by the Telangana government, without public debate and consultation.
Rise in built-up area
In its publications and press releases, the Telangana government has taken great pride in highlighting the fact that it has added 129.55 million sq. ft of built-up space over the past five years in the 625-sq-km Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation area.
As per the annual report of the Municipal...
