Raging rain pummels Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad was pummelled with incessant rains for the fifth consecutive day on Friday. Several low lying colonies were inundated, trees got uprooted and stretches of roads got washed away, making commuting a slow torture. Even as the Hussainsagar was flowing above the full tank level (FTL), the Met office predicted more rains in the city during the next 48 hours though perhaps with not as much intensity as was witnessed on Friday.
The incessant rains not only battered walls but also damaged archaeological monuments as chunks of plaster from the minarets of Masjid-e-Abdullah Qutub Shah in the Quli Qutub Shah Tombs complex, in the custody of the Department of Archaeology and Museums, fell putting the safety of tourists and visitors at risk.
Until 5.30 pm Friday, 13.2 mm rainfall was recorded in the city for the day with Uppal receiving the maximum of 16.5 mm. Clogged water further damaged the roads which are already in a pathetic condition with several flyovers developing crater-like potholes. The rains also snapped electric wires at several places in the city. The water level at Hussainsagar crossed the FTL of 513.41 metres on Friday evening and stood at 513.43 metres. As a result, several low lying colonies that could be flooded due to the overflowing Hussainsagar have been put on alert.