Heavy rain floods Hyderabad roads as Ganesh pandal crowds slow traffic
Saturday evening downpour waterlogs Hyderabad roads and slows traffic amid Ganesh Chaturthi crowds; Nagole tops rainfall chart at 63.3 mm.
Hyderabad's spell of hot, humid weather broke on Saturday evening as heavy rain swept across several parts of the city, leaving roads waterlogged and slowing traffic at multiple locations. The downpour coincided with the weekend rush of devotees visiting Ganesh pandals, adding to congestion on already busy routes.
Conditions had been bright and sunny through the morning before clouds gathered after noon. Rain began in several areas shortly after 4 p.m.
Waterlogging and crawling traffic were reported at the Shaikpet flyover, along the Manikonda-Tolichowki stretch towards Gachibowli, on Iqbal Minar Road towards the Secretariat, from NMDC towards Masab Tank, on Banjara Hills Road No. 12 near the Agrasen Statue towards Omega Hospital, and at Shivrampally, Rajendranagar, Aramghar RUB, BN Reddy Nagar towards Hasthinapur X Road, and Nagole towards Bandlaguda.
The evening's celebrations compounded the disruption. With large crowds gathering at the Khairatabad Ganesh idol, congestion built up in Lakdi-ka-pul, Somajiguda and nearby areas. Movement was also slow around Begum Bazaar, where devotees thronged the pandal on narrow roads; vehicles inched along Malakunta Road and from Begum Bazaar Chatri towards MJ Bridge in both directions.
Traffic police drawn from the Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Malkajgiri commissionerates, along with Disaster Response Force personnel from the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA), were posted at major junctions to clear waterlogging and keep vehicles moving.
Rainfall data from the Telangana Development Planning Society showed Nagole receiving the highest accumulation, 63.3 mm, as of 9 p.m. Shamshabad followed with 59.5 mm, while Sivarampally and Rajendranagar each recorded 44.5 mm. Attapur logged 40.8 mm, Shaikpet 31.3 mm, Adibatla 29 mm, Bandlaguda 28.8 mm, Vanasthalipuram 24.3 mm, Hayathnagar 23.5 mm and Khairatabad 20.5 mm.
The weather also disrupted air travel. Two flights were diverted from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, with IndiGo flight 6E 6063 from Shirdi sent to Vijayawada and IndiGo flight 6E 1182 from Colombo redirected to Bengaluru.
Not all of the city was affected. Several areas remained dry through the evening, escaping the rain altogether.