Hyderabad: HYDRAA has launched Fatehnagar nala desilting to reduce flood risks in Fatehnagar and Balanagar industrial areas. The agency deployed Monsoon Emergency Teams and Disaster Response Force personnel for the operation.
HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath inspected the work with officials on Thursday. Additional Director Varla Papaiah accompanied him during the field visit. Ranganath reviewed silt removal using a long-arm hand JCB and directed officials to speed up the work.
Meanwhile, he ordered officials to identify encroachments along the nala and take immediate action. Officials told him that the channel should measure 25 metres at its beginning and about 40 metres in Fatehnagar. However, encroachments have narrowed several stretches.
Ranganath also asked officials to meet industrial unit owners soon. The meeting will focus on removing encroachments and improving the flood channel. Several unit owners had earlier approached HYDRAA’s Prajavani with complaints about the issue.
The flood channel carries water from Pariki Cheruvu and IDL Cheruvu before joining the Kukatpally nala. The Fox Sagar flood channel also joins it near Gautham Nagar. Officials said repeated obstructions and accumulated silt had reduced the channel’s capacity.
Fatehnagar nala desilting targets decades-old silt buildup
The nala has accumulated silt for decades, with some stretches carrying six to seven feet of deposits. As a result, even 4 to 5 centimetres of rainfall can flood nearby industrial and residential areas.
In addition, sewage and industrial wastewater enter the channel. This has created foul odours and contributed to groundwater contamination in surrounding areas.
Local industrial unit owners told HYDRAA that encroachments had also restricted floodwater flow. They sought removal of both silt and encroachments to improve drainage.
HYDRAA began the latest desilting operation on Tuesday. Workers have already removed several truckloads of silt near a culvert. Officials expect the quantity to increase as work continues.
The agency plans to clear nearly three kilometres of the nala from Deendayal Nagar. The channel passes through Fatehnagar, Balanagar, Shobha Colony, Gautham Nagar, AIG Puram, Begumpet and Prakash Nagar before reaching Hussainsagar.
Meanwhile, the Fox Sagar channel reaches the system through Jeedimetla and joins the Kukatpally nala near Gautham Nagar. HYDRAA expects the extended clearing work to improve floodwater flow.
Industrial unit owners have assured Ranganath that they will cooperate with encroachment removal. HYDRAA officials are continuing the desilting work along the identified stretch.
Twitter Post: HYDRAA has begun Fatehnagar nala desilting to reduce flood risks in Fatehnagar and Balanagar. The agency is clearing decades-old silt along nearly 3 km and targeting encroachments.