A report on Inundation Scenario in Nadeem Colony, Hyderabad

type of situation was not experienced in thepast, possibly due to much less population ascompared to the present level and also the factthat infrastructure and constructions werelimited. Due to this situation the cityexperienced floods as a result of heavy rains incertain years only.Floods in HyderabadMusi River was the cause of frequentflood devastation of Hyderabad city till theearly decades of 20th Century. History Recordsthat flood occurred eleven times in Hyderabadsince 1572AD. The city had experienced 15.32Qaiyum, former director, archaeology andmuseums. According to historians, 15,000people were killed and over 80,000 wererendered homeless in the Musi floods. As manyas 600,000 people were affected by the river’sfury. The deluge washed away part of a bridgebuilt on the river and caused widespreaddevastation. Such was the enormity of thedevastation that the sixth Nizam Mir MahboobAli Khan, then ruler of Hyderabad State, threwopen the gates of his palaces to shelter thevictims. The kitchens in the palaces workedovertime to feed about 600,000 people for 15days.cms of rainfall on September 28, 1908.The MusiRiver rose to 15 to 20 feet height in theinhabited area. These floods shattered the lifeof the people living in Hyderabad.The water level in localities abutting theriver was 15 to 20 feet. A maternity hospital,the Darulshifa hospital and several otherbuildings on the banks of the river wereIt was on this day in 1908 that the MusiRiver, which was reduced to an open sewer,obliterated. Over 400 people were killed in thematernity hospital alone.overflowed following heavy rains in andaround the city. Such was the river’s fury thatmany buildings, including two hospitals on itsbanks and hundreds of houses, weresubmerged. Over 150 people had climbed atamarind tree at the Osmania General HospitalAfter the floods, then ruler ofHyderabad State shifted many of thegovernment offices across the river. This wasthe beginning of the neglect of area on thesouthern side, which is today called the old city.to save themselves.After the floods, Nizam began efforts toThe river, which bisects the city, hadturned a monster overnight. ‘Though therewere 18 floods recorded before Sep 28, 1908,this was the mother of all floods,’ said M.A.prevent further floods in the Musi.Mokshgundam Visvesvarayya, a renowned cityplanner from the neighbouring Mysore State,was asked to prepare a prevention plan forAPARD 2

floods. Sri Mokshagundam Visvesvarayyasubmitted his <strong>report</strong>, on October 1, 1909 withrecommendations on preventing a recurrenceof floods and also improving civic amenities.As Mahboob Ali Pasha passed away in1911, his successor Mir Osman Ali Khanimplemented the plan and built two reservoirsover the Musi River, at Gandipet village and iscalled by the name of Osmansagar. In 1927another reservoir was built on Esi (A tributaryof Musi River) and was named as Himayatsagar.Hyderabad became the capital of thestate of Andhra Pradesh in 1956 andexperienced a large scale of migration fromcoastal areas, Rayalseema and other parts ofTelangana region. Poverty was the main factorfor this rural-urban migration because of theemployment opportunities created by therapid development that took place especiallyin the Ninety’s. However, other pull and pushfactors like education and reduced livelihoodopportunities in the Rural areas, alsocontributed to the heavy influx of populationfrom outside the city.. As per 2001 census,Hyderabad city is one of the fastest growingmetropolitan cities with a decadal growth rateof 32%.After creation of Greater HyderabadMunicipal Corporation (GHMC), Hyderabadbecame the second largest in India, in termsof its’ geographical area, with a spread of7,000 sq. km.APARDThis population shift resulted inenormous pressure for shelter and servicesfraying the infrastructure. Urban developmentplans could not cope with the populationsettlements which came up quickly whereverland was available. This haphazard growth hadits consequential effect on the communities,whenever there is a heavy rain fall whichcaused inundation of the low lying areas dueto the peculiar topography of the city andsurrounding areas. The drainage system did nothave the capacity to drain the runoff of therains quick enough to prevent inundation. Thecommon experience has been that the surplusrain water created major traffic jams inundatedseveral areas of the built up area, and floods insome parts of the city resulting in damages topublic and private property.The rainy season in the city is from Juneto September, however it is in the month ofAugust that heavy spells of rain occur as canbe seen from the data presented below:Heavy rainfall History of the CityYear wise record of heavy rainfall eventsare given below:o On August 1, 1954; the city hadrecorded a rainfall of 190.5 mms and allrounddevastation took place in thecity.o In 1970 recorded rainfall was 140 mm.3

The area to the Northwest, North andEast of the Tank is higher in elevationcomprising of the Hi-tech city complex, JubileeHills and Durgam Cheruvu.Natural streamdraining discharge from Durgam Cheruvusurplus weir flows into the Shah Hatim Tankdue to the non-functioning of Balkapur Nala.In addition to this stream, another stream fromMukaramja Cheruvu also contributes thedischarge into Shah Hatim Tank. Local residentsalso said the Sewerage water from Jubilee Hills,Gachibowli and other areas flows in to thistank.About 500 to 600 families couldprobably be living in about over 250 housesapproximately which are affected by the rains.The area occupied by the houses is part of thetank foreshore. It should not have been usedfor dwelling houses or any other structures.This might have perhaps happened becausethe boundaries of the tank were not clearlydemarcated on the ground and there was noregular monitoring by the GHMC and RevenueDepartment. There is no approved lay out fromHUDA for the entire area nor is therepermission from the GHMC.The photo on the left above shows theview from the edge of the tank touching theNadeem colony. The built up area in thebackground is that of other colonies also in thefore shore area of the tank.The photo on the right above shows apart of the Nadeem colony flooded in the rainson 13 th September 08, the tank can also beseen.The Shah Hatim Tank foreshore area isoccupied by the following colonies:o Nadeem Colonyo Virasat Nagaro Baddam Bal Reddy Nagaro Neeraja Colonyo Quli Qutub Shah Nagaro Shatam Nagaro Moin Tolichowki CircleAPARD5

These colonies are located on theWestern, Northern and Eastern sides of thetank. The southern portion of the Tank is theFort wall with the Moat. Nadeem colony islocated on the Western tip of the water body,north of the road leading away from the tip ofthe water body in westerly direction.The tank as well as the surroundingareas may be seen in the enclosed Pictureprepared by the APSRAC. The picture shows thearea of the tank in yellow colour and the builtup area stands out clearly in the area lost forstoring water. As per the records of irrigationDepartment of GHMC the total water spreadarea of the tank is 88.3 acres. Out of this, 42.3acres has been encroached.The tank has two sluices which aresupposed to drain out the excess water abovethe 519.680 meter Full Tank Level (FTL).The below photos were taken on 11 thOctober 08 shows the limited quantity of waterbeing drained out and explains the reason whyparts of the colony remain under water formany days after the rains have stopped.Government has also allotted someland to the Hyderabad Golf Course Association,for the development of a Golf course in thevicinity of the tank and their Office is locatedon raised ground in the tank on the southWestern side. The APSRAC picture may pleasebe seen.Storm water drain in the colony existsand has been laid by the GHMC over a periodof time under the available maintenancebudget. Sewer lines have not been laid bySewerage Board. However the residents of thecolony have connected their sewerage lines tothe storm water drain.APARD 6

APARDAs a result of the above the fore shoreareas of the tank were flooded in the 2000 rainswith the water level rising to about 7 feet fromthe road level. As per the information from theresidents one hour’s rain is enough to flood theareas near the water line. This has been arecurring feature every year.Since the foreshore area is denselypopulated and affected practically duringevery rainy season, GHMC appointed KirloskarConsultants Ltd. Pune (KICONS) to study themeasures for alleviating the sufferings of theresidents. The Consultants submitted their<strong>report</strong> for Designing, Planning and estimatingthe costs for construction of Surplus weir toShah Hatim Tank to drain the excess water. Italso proposed a surplus channel to take thisexcess water from Shah Hatim Tank to LangarHouse. Length of this Surplus Channel wouldbe about 1110 m.Technical Features of Shah HatimTank:Technical features of Shah Hatim Tank asgathered from the Engineering Wing of theGHMC and the Report of KirloskarConsultants Ltd., are given below:1. Length of Tank Wall 756m2. Top Width of Tank Wall 5 m3. No.of Sluices provided 2 Nos.4. Size of Sluice 2.00mx0.60m5. Width of Moat adjacent to 3mTank Wall6. Catchment area of the 6.10 Sq.kmDrain(2.36 Sq.Miles)7. Total estimated discharge 44.746m 3 /secex.Tank (Based on UnitHydrograph Studies)(1580cusecs)8. Water spread area at MDDL 10.93 haof Tank(27.00 Acres)9. Area within Golf Association 18.62boundary wall10.Area of encroachment withinFRL of Tank(40.00 Acres)17.12ha(42.30 Acres)Vulnerability of Nadeem ColonyThe main reason for the water loggingin the colony is because the settlements cameup in the prohibited area of the Fore shore ofthe Tank. The rain water from the immediatesurrounding areas to the North of the tank aswell as the natural path of the water from thehigher areas further north is the cause forinundation. The construction workcommenced in this prohibited area from 1995onwards.Nadeem colony had experiencedflooding as under:ooThe residents experienced flooding forthe first time in 1995.In August 2000, the colony wasinundated up to 7 feet height water,nearly 500 houses were submerged7

and nearly 2000 people wereevacuated and put in a school.o On 24 th July 2005 the colonyexperienced 46 mm and water in ShahHatim tank has reached FTL.o In August 2008, the colony wasinundated with 5 feet height water; Asa result of 180mms rainfall in two days,around 70 people were evacuated andput in Mosque and schools.DamagesThere are no major damages to thebuildings of the community as most of thebuildings are pucca /RCC roofed buildings.However, some repairs were carried out to thewater lines. The stagnant, contaminated wateralso affects the piped water supply. Due to thisthe residents have difficulty to have sufficientdrinking water and secondly children, areeffected by water borne diseases.The above picture shows a part of thecolony where the residual water has turnedblack due to the sewerage water getting mixedwith rain water.Measures taken byGovernmentThe GHMC and the DistrictAdministration had taken response measureslike issue of warnings and arranged evacuationof the affected population to temporaryshelters in the safer areas in the local schools.Five vehicles (with a capacity to carry 5-8people with luggage) from enforcement wingwere used to evacuate the people from thisarea.GHMC established Emergency ControlRoom at Red Hills. Four member team wasformed in GHMC to initiate the responseactivities. This team was headed byCommissioner, Central Zone and othermembers were Deputy Commissioner,Executive Engineer, (Maintenance) andAssistant Medical officer. One more team fromRevenue department also attended to theresponse activities.As there are only two sluices to drainthe excess water, the engineering departmentof GHMC started cutting a channel, afterobtaining permission from ArchaeologicalDepartment, from south west to dispose thehigh flood water.In 2007, the Greater HyderabadMunicipal Corporation (GHMC) started diggingan additional channel to drain out the excesswater of the Shah Hatim tank.GHMCsanctioned Rs 50 lakhs to deepen the trenchAPARD 8

to a depth of three metres up to a distance of600 metres. But it was not completed due tosome technical reasons.onset of the monsoons through distribution ofpamphlets, kalajatha programmes, pasting ofstickers on the doors of the houses. Pressreleases in the print media and scrollingmessages were shown on the electronic media.Health and Sanitation measuresThe medical teams of GHMC hasconducted Awareness campaigns for waterand vector borne diseases just before theonset of the monsoons through distribution ofpamphlets, kalajatha programmes, pasting ofstickers on the doors of the houses. Pressreleases in the print media and scrollingmessages were shown on the electronic media.The above photos show the incompleted surplus channel, which takes theexcess water from Shah Hatim tank to HussainSagar tank.Engineering section of the GHMC hasrevived the project with Rs.Three crores tocomplete the Surplus Weir and SurplusChannel as per the recommendations of theKirloskar Committee. The above photo showsthe uncompleted surplus channel.Health and Sanitation measuresThe medical teams of GHMC hasconducted Awareness campaigns for waterand vector borne diseases just before theAPARDThree hundred strong labour forceswere engaged over a period of three monthsto remove Water hyacinth from the tank.Nineteen men were used in shifts for clearingthe obstruction to the sluice gate, by garbage,so that water could flow out freely. Apart fromthat, Anti-larvae operations were conducted.Preparedness MeasuresAs a pre monsoon measure, themaintenance department of GHMC cleanedthe nalas. One AE is kept in charge (night time)for every revenue ward. He would be provided10 member labour force and one vehicle totake action as may be required.GHMC establishes a Control Room inevery Circle, Zone and Head office with9

telephone and other equipment like Dozer,JCB, Bob Carts and Tippers etc. In each controlroom, telephone Operator will be available for24 hours. Every year GHMC would prepare a listof low-lying areas zone wise. Nadeeem NagarColony, Virasat Nagar and Prashant Nagar arelow-lying areas.Power Saws, four Oil operated Engines,will be provided to EE -whenever there isinundation in Nadeem Nagar or otherlocalities-The Engineering staff and equipmentshould reach the sites affected with in half anhourDissemination of Warning MessageThe GHMC issued warnings to the localcolonies through Engineering department.Public address system in the Masjid wasutilised.EvacuationMCH has evacuated nearly 70 familiesto a Masjid (Approx. 300 persons) and schools.Four boats from the tourism department wereused for evacuation of the affected people.However one boat became unusable. Prioritywas given to aged persons followed by womenand children. Some people did not want to beevacuated and were left in the houses.Supply of Food & Water in Camps.Food and water was provided by theGovernment officials and Local MLA for fourdays. One family who did not want to beidentified has provided breakfast and dinnerfor all for four days and in addition fruits for alland milk for children were given.As per the statement of Dr Ganesh, localHealth and Sanitation Officer, 75 people wereevacuated to the shelter in Little Tulip School.Food provided to the people in the shelter andto others stranded in the houses for three days.- Pulihora, Vegetable Fried Rice, Sambhar Riceand milk were supplied. NGOs also providedfood to evacuees. First day and third day 250 Packets(morning)- served at 12.00PM First Day *400 Packets) and thirdDay(250) (evening)- served at 5 PM Second Day – 300 Packets Satya Sai Welfare Committee an NGOalso provided food to victimsMedical campsMedical aid was provided at shelters.Services of the 104 ambulances were used. Atotal of 2422 cases were treated- Fever – 430,Diaheral-189, and Respiratory-78 and minorailments-1725. Medical aid provided to theaffected persons for 15 days.APARD 10

APARDDisinfectants were sprayed and slushwas removed from the roads and surroundingareas for which Lorries were engaged.Restoration of Electricity andWater.Power was restored when the rainstopped. Water through the pipeline wasrestored soon after. Local people stated thatdrinking water in the tankers was sent but atintervals of one week.Visit of Government functionaries.The local community has stated thatexcept for the Medical department no otherofficial visited the colony during and after therains.AssistanceRevenue Department providedassistance in the form of 10Kgs Rice and 5 litresKerosene to 124 BPL families in the affectedarea. No compensation was paid to the peopleof the Nadem colony as there was no loss oflives and property.Immediate RepairsA labour force of 50 members wasengaged from September 2008 to desilt thestorm-water drains in the colony. No DamageAssessment was done. Hyderabad Metro WaterSupply and Sewerage Board spent nearly Rs1.50 lakhs towards repairs to the valves ofDrinking Water Supply. No specific budget forrepairs. Desilting and other minor repairs weretaken up under annual maintenance budget.RecommendationsManagement of Flood in NadeemcolonyAn integrated action plan is necessaryto reduce the sufferings of the people ofNadeem colony. The following measures aresuggested:Policy LevelRisk AssessmentIdentifying the number of houses likelyto be inundated based on the past inundationlevels. Apart from these houses, other areaslikely to be affected with more heavy rainsshould be identified. Detailed risk mapping ofthe colonies should be done by the GHMCusing the Geographical Information Systemand experiences of the communities. This mapshould be up dated every year after themonsoons are over. Copies of the maps shouldbe given to the Colony Welfare Committee.Prevention and MitigationMeasuresThe following measures may contributeto the reduce the effect of rains in the colony:Installation of advanced Radar systemlike Doppler to give more accurateinformation.11

Setting up of automatic Rain GaugeSystems in every vulnerable ward forissuing of timely warnings, wheneverthere is a heavy rainfall.Separate drainage system must beconstructed.Storm Water drains should not beclogged by solid waste matter. Solidwaste removal from the roads and theresidences to be organised by theGHMC in partnership with the ColonyWelfare Committee. People in thecolony should be educated about thisaspect.Setting up of Siren systems or mobilesirens for giving warning to vulnerableareas is to be arranged.Restoration and Desilting of BalkapurNala to allow rain water from the higherareas of Durgam Cheruvu andsurrounding areas to flow into HussainSagar Lake and not to Shatalam Tankas is happening now..Golf Course office located in the tankto be shifted out to another area. TheEarth filling should be excavated.The entire tank must be de silted assoon as possible in oreder to store morewater below the FTL.Banning of all future constructionactivity near the waterlineSetting up of Colony Flood Task Force(FTF) committees with volunteersthrough the community Participationto assist the Ward DisasterManagement Committee incoordinating all the flood managementactivities. Formation of Ward DisasterManagement Committee for Planning,Organising and responding to Floodsituations with people’s participation,in the future and also to deal with anyother emergencies. This committee canalso coordinate the NGO’s support andactivities. Networking of colony welfarecommittees within the ward, for bettermanagement of flood related activitiesOfficials of Revenue, Police and Fire andEmergency Services amy be includedin the Ward Committees on as requiredbasis.Tank area should be identified andboundaries should be protected bywall or strong fence. and fencingshould be done along the boundary.GHMC should monitor the areasregularly to prevent furtherencroachments.Administrative MeasuresEstablishment of the Control Room setup at ward level. Identification of shelters forrelief camps, Communication systems, Officesupport, specialised equipment, Medicalstores, Food & Water supply and traffic controlAPARD 12

measures should be included in administrativemeasures.Training programmes should beorganised for staff involved in operational andadministrative measures to enable them totake actions as per the operating procedures.Training programme should also be given toDTFs and Ward Disaster ManagementCommittees.Sensitisation programmes should beorganised for public representatives on theFlood related aspects particularly for thecolonies.Damage assessment in the vulnerableareas to be consolidated and sufficient fundallocation be planned to ensure that properrepairs are executed after the floods. This willhelp in reducing the recurring expenditure forthe same damages every year.Activities undertaken by thegovernment agencies for the floods should bedocumented and publicized in all forms ofmedia.Public should be informed about townplanning laws, water bodies and the regulatorymeasures in the various acts related to theenvironment and urban floods.Do’s and Don’ts may be prepared and given inthe form ofpamphlets, small video films,posters, wall paintings etcAPARDImplementation LevelPreparation of DM plans Ward-wisewith community participation. These plansshould be approved by colony welfarecommittees and ward disaster managementcommittee. Preparation of StandardOperating Procedures (SOPs) for differentdepartments like engineering, Health andSanitation and Town planning. Check listsshould be prepared for officers of the GHMC,Revenue, Medical, Fire and Emergency andPolice departments.ConclusionRisk mapping of the areas of the cityshould be done to assess the vulnerability,related to urban floods, using GIS Technology.Town Planning department of GHMCshould regularly monitor the prohibited areasto prevent encroachments.The present project to increase the outflow of the rain water above the FTL would besubject to the rainfall being at the level of thepast decade. More rain received may causesimilar problem in the future. Public should beeducated on the risks involved in illegalconstructions on or along nalas and tank areasand they should be advised to vacate thevulnerable area. Government should considerrelocation for the poor people in some otherareas. If this does not work out then, the13

harsher decision of demolition of the structuresmust be given a serious thought.References:1. The Hindu paper: 14 th June, 10th, 11 th Aug2008, 29 th Jan 2007, 5 th March 20052. Eenadu paper: 10th 11 th and 12 th Aug 20083. Indian Express paper: 10th and 11 th Aug20084. Siasat Paper: 10th 11 th and 12 th Aug 20085. Ittemad Paper: 10 th , 11 th and 12 th Aug 20086. Andhra Jyothi Paper: 10th and 11 th Aug20087. Vaartha Paper: 10th and 11 th Aug 20088. Andhra Bhoomi: 10th and 11 th Aug 20089. Sakshi Paper: 10th and 11 th Aug 200810. Kirloskar Consultants <strong>report</strong> on ShahHatim Tank11. Impact of Urban Growth on waterbodies: The case of Hyderabad byC. Ramachandraiah and Sheela Prasad12. SaveAndhra.com13. The Times of India 10 th Aug 200814. Wikipedia encyclopedia.APARD 14

I N D E XSl. Subject Page No.No.1. Context 12. Introduction 13. Floods in Hyderabad 2-44 Profile of Nadeem Colony 5-95 Measures taken by Government 10-146 Recommendations 14-177 Annexure 17APARD15

I N D E XSl. Subject Page No.No.1. Context 12. Introduction 13. Floods in Hyderabad 2-44 Profile of Nadeem Colony 5-95 Measures taken by Government 10-146 Recommendations 14-177 Annexure 17APARD 16

A REPORT ON THE INUNDATION SCENARIOIN NADEEM COLONY, Hyderabad.ByBrig.D.V.Rao, Head Faculty &P.Venkata Lakshmi, FacultyCentre for Management of Environment & DisastersAMR-A.P. Academy of Rural DevelopmentRajendranagar, Hyderabad – 500 030APARD17