Hyderabad: Storm and traffic jam affect life in the city

Hyderabad: The storm that started in Hyderabad on Thursday afternoon and continued till evening, disrupted normal life as low-lying areas, main roads were inundated and heavy traffic jams and waterlogging were reported. The storm caused a significant drop in temperature, bringing relief to people, but the chaos on the city roads tested the patience of Hyderabad residents. According to rainfall data received from Telangana Development Planning Society (TSDPS) weather stations set up in Hyderabad, the highest rainfall of 91 mm was recorded at GHMC headquarters in Himayatnagar till Thursday evening, followed by 90 mm rainfall at the weather station in Dabeerpura, Charminar. Within a short span of time, heavy rains and gusty winds caused main roads and low-lying areas to be inundated with rainwater, leading to waterlogging. Due to the thunderstorm, motorists faced heavy traffic jams on arterial roads in Gachibowli-Madhapur, Mehdipatnam-Tolichowki, Begumpet-Paradise, Himayatnagar-Nallakunta, Masab Tank-Mehdipatnam, Karkhana-Alwal and Habsiguda-Uppal sections. In Khairatabad, two women passengers had a narrow escape after a tree branch fell on their car during the thunderstorm on Thursday afternoon. The incident occurred when the car was going from Banjara Hills to Khairatabad. On being informed, GHMC staff and police rushed to the spot, removed the branch and moved the car to another place. However, the incident led to a massive traffic jam along the road. Disaster teams of HYDRAA DRF launched efforts to ease traffic congestion by removing uprooted trees and draining out water from submerged areas. Uprooted trees were removed at places like Khairatabad, Saidabad State Bank Colony, Basheerbagh, Necklace Road, Musheerabad, Assembly Road, Banjara Hills, etc. Waterlogged areas were cleared at places like Old Alwal, L B Nagar, Begumpet, Madhapur, Mehdipatnam, etc by HDRAA DRF teams.