Heavy rain floods Hyderabad as Ganesh Chaturthi devotees brave traffic chaos

Nagole registered the highest rainfall of 63.3 mm by 9 p.m., while traffic crawled through key junctions as devotees thronged Khairatabad and Begum Bazaar pandals amid downpours that began after 4 p.m.

Heavy rain lashed several parts of Hyderabad on Saturday evening after days of hot and humid weather, causing waterlogging and disrupting traffic at several locations across the city. The downpour also compounded the weekend rush as large numbers of devotees visited Ganesh pandals, particularly in Khairatabad and Begum Bazaar. The city, which witnessed bright and sunny conditions during the morning, turned cloudy after noon, with rainfall beginning in several areas after 4 p.m.

Worst-hit stretches and traffic snarls

Waterlogging and slow-moving traffic were reported at Shaikpet flyover, Manikonda-Tolichowki towards Gachibowli, Iqbal Minar Road towards the Secretariat, NMDC towards Masab Tank, Banjara Hills Road No. 12 near Agrasen Statue towards Omega Hospital, Shivrampally, Rajendranagar, Aramghar RUB, BN Reddy Nagar towards Hasthinapur X Road, and Nagole towards Bandlaguda. The rain further affected traffic movement in areas witnessing heavy footfall for Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations.

With a large number of devotees visiting the Khairatabad Ganesh idol, congestion was reported in Lakdi-ka-pul, Somajiguda and surrounding areas. Traffic movement was also slow around Begum Bazaar, where devotees were visiting the Ganesh pandal amid congestion on narrow roads. Vehicles moved slowly along Malakunta Road and Begum Bazaar Chatri towards MJ Bridge on both sides.

Multi-agency deployment to manage chaos

Traffic police personnel from Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Malkajgiri commissionerates along with Disaster Response Force (DRF) personnel from Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) were deployed at major junctions across the city to clear waterlogging and ensure smooth flow of traffic.

Rainfall data and flight diversions

According to data from Telangana Development Planning Society (TGDPS), as of 9 p.m., Nagole recorded 63.3 mm rainfall followed by 59.5 mm in Shamshabad, 44.5 mm in Sivarampally, 44.5 mm in Rajendranagar, 40.8 mm in Attapur, 31.3 mm in Shaikpet, 29 mm in Adibatla, 28.8 mm in Bandlaguda, 24.3 mm in Vanasthalipuram, 23.5 mm in Hayathnagar and 20.5 mm in Khairatabad. The rain also affected flight operations at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), with two flights diverted.

According to FlightRadar24, IndiGo flight 6E 6063 from Shirdi was diverted to Vijayawada, while IndiGo flight 6E 1182 from Colombo was diverted to Bengaluru. Meanwhile, several parts of the city did not receive any rain and remained largely dry.

Source: The Hindu