HYDRAA Cleans Hyderabad Drains, Removes Mattresses, Sofas and Plastic Waste
HYDERABAD: Mattresses, sofas, pillows, cable wires and tonnes of plastic waste have been cleared from Hyderabad’s stormwater drains as the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) stepped up its pre-monsoon desilting drive to reduce urban flooding.
Officials said people dumping household waste, plastic, furniture and construction debris into drains has become a major cause of waterlogging across the city. Every major drain cleaned during the drive has produced truckloads of garbage that blocked the free flow of stormwater.
HYDRAA’s Disaster Response Force (DRF) and Monsoon Emergency Teams (MET) are carrying out round-the-clock desilting operations. The agency is working with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Cyberabad Municipal Corporation (CMC), Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation (MMC), the Irrigation Department and the Police.
Officials said the goal is to prevent flooding by clearing drains before the monsoon intensifies, rather than only responding after heavy rain.
Aghapura nala yields 13 truckloads of garbage
The biggest cleanup is under way at the Aghapura stormwater drain. It carries runoff from Mehdipatnam, Mallepally and Vijayanagar Colony before joining the Musi River.
A culvert near Darussalam became completely blocked after waste accumulated inside the drain.
Residents shared photographs and videos with HYDRAA, prompting Commissioner A.V. Ranganath to order immediate action. Since heavy machinery could not reach the site, officials removed part of the boundary wall to allow JCBs to enter.
During the past six days, teams removed 13 tipper loads of waste. The garbage included mattresses, pillows, sofas, chairs and large quantities of plastic. Officials expect to clear the remaining stretch within two days.
Cable bundles and plastic waste choke key drains
HYDRAA also cleared a major blockage from a box drain along the Miyapur-Patancheru Road. Discarded cable wires had become tangled inside the drain and restricted the flow of stormwater. Teams used JCBs to remove the cables and restore the drain’s capacity.
At the Chandanagar-Lingampally Road Under Bridge, plastic waste clogged a box drain built under the Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP). The location often faces flooding even during moderate rainfall. Teams removed iron grills to access the drain and cleared nearly two truckloads of plastic waste. Water can now flow freely towards Nakka Vagu.
HYDRAA also desilted a covered box drain at Krishna Nagar. Garbage and silt had piled up to seven feet inside the 10-foot-deep channel. Working with GHMC, teams removed sections of concrete slabs where necessary and cleared the accumulated silt to improve the drain’s capacity.
Residents urged to stop dumping waste
Officials said the repeated recovery of household furniture, plastic waste, cable wires and other discarded materials from stormwater drains highlights the need for public cooperation.
They urged residents not to dump garbage into drains. They warned that such dumping blocks stormwater channels and increases the risk of flooding and waterlogging during heavy rain.
