The national highway cave in at Panjagutta four days ago due to an underground storm water drain leak exposed the lack of data on the underground drain network in the city. The GHMC does not have a map of storm water drains that were constructed by the erstwhile rulers of the city. This startling fact reveals that at any point of time, a Panjagutta kind of incident can occur anywhere in the city.
According to engineers who have worked in the city’s planning department in the past, most of the main roads have storm water drains constructed in pre-Independence days. There is one under the GHMC head office compound, as also under the Buddha Bhavan at Tankbund, and under many high-rise buildings at Himayatnagar. TD floor leader in the GHMC Singireddy Srinivas Reddy said that after the death of a labourer in an accident while cleaning a storm water drain on RP Road, he had filed an application under the Right to Information Act with the GHMC asking for details of storm water drains in the city and the buildings that have been built over them.
He said that even though three months have passed, the civic body has not furnished information about the query. “This shows that the GHMC doesn’t have any information on underground drains laid during the Nizam’s period,” says Mr Reddy. A GHMC official admitted they have no idea where the drains are. “The storm water drains were constructed during the Nizam’s reign, so how can we have a map?” he said.