Post floods, heavy rainfalls, GHMC engages in special sanitation drive

HYDERABAD: The south Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, among others, experienced heavy, unseasonal rainfall during the last week. These rains led to widespread destruction of property and life as flash floods swept across various cities. Post the disaster, civic bodies in Hyderabad are now tasked with the removal of over 20,000 tonnes of garbage. As part of a special monsoon sanitation drive, workers have picked up and shifted 10,386 tonnes of garbage in the last four days. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) expects that the special monsoon drive will continue for a few more days. GHMC says that the monsoon drive was taken up in the worst-hit localities in LB Nagar, Charminar, Khairatabad, Serilingampally, Kukatpallu and Secunderabad zones and is progression even as de-watering activities are continuing in several colonies.

Low-lying areas across the city are the worst affected as residential and commercial localities witness massive heaps of waste piling up in and around their boundaries. Of the total waste collected, around 5885 tonne have been lifted from the Charminar zone in the last four days, followed by the Khairatabad zone and LB Nagar zone.

After a breach of the bund, the Gurram Cheruvu and Palle Cheruvu were the two lakes which overflowed and flooded and submerged the neighbouring colonies. So far, the GHMC has identified 9,163 heaps of garbage accumulated across these zones. The debris collection from these sites is being shfted to Jeedimetla and Fathullaguda C&D debris processing plants, while the other wastes are being shifted to the municipal dump yard at Jawaharnagar.

The GHMC has additionally employed 72 earthmovers, 55 mini-tippers, 36 trucks (6-tonners), 110 trucks (10-tonner), and four tractors for the special sanitation drive.