Hyderabad floods hit over 37,000 families: GHMC

As torrential rain hit Hyderabad city devastatingly, civic officers and rescue team relentlessly strived to control the situation. Relief materials from Chief Minister's fund including ration kits, along with three blankets were also distributed to the affected family.

Hyderabad: Torrential rains and flash floods in Hyderabad affected over 37,000 families till now, a top civic official said on Sunday. The heavy rains and floods from October 13 to October 14 and again on October 17 inundated many areas, affecting 37,400 families.

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Commissioner Lokesh Kumar said that due to heavy rains on October 13 various localities were inundated and about 35,309 families were affected. Another 2,100 families were evacuated to safer places on October 17.

He said that the GHMC intensified relief operations and were taking steps to bring back normalcy in inundated areas. Zonal Commissioners, Additional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners were entrusted with monitoring the relief operations and distribution of the Chief Minister's relief kits to the affected people.

As meteorology department forecasted more rains in the next couple of days, the GHMC, as a precautionary measure, started evacuating residents of low-lying areas.

The official said that they started distributing the Chief Minister's relief ration kits, along with 3 blankets, totally worth Rs 2,800 to the affected families. Till now 20,000 ration kits and blankets were distributed and remaining kits and blankets were told to be distributed soon. Similarly, distribution of milk, bread and biscuits among the affected was also initiated. The authorities also distributed 90,000 meals during lunchtime and 60,000 meals for dinner.

Read:More rains forecast for flood-hit Hyderabad

The engineering wing and Disaster Response Force (DRF) teams involved in pumping out water from the apartment cellars and inundated colonies. As 72 teams and 106 water pumps from the engineering and maintenance side and 170 monsoon teams with 202 water pumps were engaged in the activity.

In order to contain water-borne and vector-borne diseases, the entomology and DRF teams were also taking up activities like anti-larva operations and spraying of bleaching powder and sodium hypochlorite in the cellars and inundated areas. Thirty tankers, each from the DRF and fire services, were pressed into service for spraying the sodium hypochlorite.

Meanwhile, Director, Enforcement, Vigilance & Disaster Management, Viswajit Kampati personally supervised DRF rescue operations in Hafiz Baba Nagar in Chandrayangutta.

"DRF teams rescued over 500 citizens from this area alone and 2,500 citizens in the city and moved them to safety. We are striving to reach out to every citizen in need in the shortest time possible time," he tweeted. Cyberabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar also visited flood-affected areas. He reviewed the situation at Rajendra Nagar, Gagan Pahad village pond, Old Kurnool Road and Ali Nagar area.

(IANS Report)