VL Narasimham, renowned architect
The global city of Hyderabad will get flooded even if a minor shower occurs. The traffic jam following rains is horrible in the city. Hours together the vehicle riders will get stuck in the traffic snarls. If a cloud burst were to occur, the situation worsens even more. The people of the city were witness how cars floated in flood waters. What is the solution to the flood threat to Hyderabad city? What should we do to save the city from the rain-induced floods at a time the city is forging ahead from the perspective of population and amenities?
Noted architect VL Narasimham made some suggestions. They are as follows.. When it rained, the water finds its way into tanks and ponds. There should be no obstacles to the flow of water into the water bodies. Currently, many atmospheric changes are occurring. Heavy rains are experienced under the impact of cloud burst. Many more such phenomena are predicted in future. That is why precautions are necessary in this regard. The architects studied the condition of tanks during 1997 and 2000 submitted a report to the government on developing 30 tanks. Safilguda, Saroor Nagar and Langer Houz tanks have been developed accordingly. Therefore, there is no threat to them. The rest of the tanks and ponds should be developed in similar fashion.
There are over 400 tanks in Hyderabad which are inter-linked from the top to bottom. Water should flow from one tank to another. Structures developed across the path of the flow of the water prevented water from reaching from one tank to another. That is why flash floods are occurring in the city. The solution to check the flash floods is development of feeder channels and canals. The flood water from the top most tank flows to the chain of tanks before emptying itself in River Musi.
Full tank level should be marked for every tank. The stones indicating the FTL have been removed. The government officials should take steps to restore these stones. Further, the tanks should be desilted. As the tanks date back to more than hundred years, they are expanding. Desiltation will increase the depth of the tank and prevent it from spreading to other areas. Pollution of water in tanks should be prevented. The tanks should be protected from encroachments. If these steps are taken, the Hyderabad city gets saved from the flash floods threat and the city will become more beautiful. The ground water level will increase. As a result, there will be no water problem at all. At least four reservoirs similar to Osman Sagar are needed to quench the thirst of the people of twin cities. Further, more and more sewerage treatment plants should be established on River Musi.
