GHMC initiates pre-monsoon safety audit of storm drains

Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has ordered a safety audit of storm water drains within its limits, with focus on open drains, to prevent mishaps during monsoon season.

Zone-wise tenders have been issued, enabling agencies to submit proposals for consultant services for the conduct of a safety audit of the city’s existing storm water drains. In order to minimise the negative effects on people and property, the third-party agency must undertake the audit by assigning teams to walk the whole length of all nalas and drains in the zone and assess the safety of the current drain network.

The study will last for 90 days, which will be followed by the submission of the report. The city has a storm water drain length of 1,300 km, of which 390 km is open.

Notably, during intense rains last year in Pragathinagar, a four-year-old boy slipped into an open drain and drowned; his body was discovered from a nearby lake. A few weeks later, another woman living near a storm drain in Chilkalguda died after falling into it. In another incident last year, a 10-year-old was washed away in storm water drain near Kalasiguda in Secundrabad.