Hyderabad's monsoon emergency team work 24 hours at stretch, without basic safety gear, to keep city afloat 

GHMC workers working 24 hours a day, is badly deprived of the basic needs to protect themselves against dangers of working in hazardous conditions.
Motorists have a tough time riding through the flooded roads in Madhapur on Sunday
Motorists have a tough time riding through the flooded roads in Madhapur on Sunday

HYDERABAD: Even as the incessant rains continue to batter the city’s roads and make their condition worse with each passing day, the monsoon emergency team of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, tasked with filling the potholes and unclogging the choked drains, and working 24 hours a day, is badly deprived of the basic needs to protect themselves against dangers of working in hazardous conditions.

There are 140 teams for 150 wards, a number inadequate to fix the growing number of potholes which are more than 20,000 now. The contract workers hired by GHMC work along with local workmen. Many of them hail from neighbouring districts including Vikarabad and Mahbubnagar and their five-month contract will end in two weeks. With each team, consisting of six to eight members, working round the clock, their day is spent in filling potholes while during the night hours the workmen are a call away to meet any emergency. “The work is tough. We are on the run always, moving from one place to the other. We don’t have time for a proper sleep and wash only when we get back to our homes the next day,” said Rajanna, a middle-aged workman from Vikarabad. At Vasanth Nagar, members of a team, who were laying bitumen to cover a pothole, said that they were not given any sanitising soaps or water or gloves to work in the tough conditions.

However, the workmen get rubber boots to wear but not everyone prefers to wear them. “Forget soaps, we even have to buy the diesel with which we wash our hands. The corporation does not support us with at least antiseptics and we break for lunch with unclean hands,” said Chandraiah, a workman.

GHMC officials claim that many workers are not interested in using the safety equipment. “We give them the required equipment like rain coats and boots but it is up to them to wear them or not,” said Roopa Devi, assistant executive engineer, KPHB ward.

Officials also maintain that the 140 teams were sufficient to carry out the task as the problem was the incessant rains washing away the bitumen.“Bitumen and rain water do not go together. Even if we lay bitumen at a particular pothole when it rains, it is bound to be washed away. It is for people’s satisfaction that we do,” said a senior official of GHMC on condition of anonymity.

Lightning kills 15- year-old boy at Gandipet
Hyderabad: A 15-year-old schoolboy was struck by lightning at Gandipet in the city and succumbed to to the severe burns on Sunday. At around 2 pm, Mohammed Faheem from Khanapur village, along with his younger brother Mohammed Fayaz, went for fishing in the Gandipet lake. While they were having fun, it rained suddenly and the duo ran for shelter and stood under different trees. A while later, lightning struck the tree under which Fayaz was standing. The boy received severe burns and was rushed to Osmania General Hospital immediately, but the doctors declared him “brought dead”, said Narsingi police.

IMD issues thunderstorm warning for Monday
Hyderabad: India Meteorological Department has issued warning that thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds is very likely to occur at isolated places across all districts of Telangana on Monday.  On Sunday, the city did not witness extreme rainfall activity like it has been occurring in the past few days. The maximum rainfall recorded in Hyderabad on Sunday was 4.1cm, followed by 2.2cm at Ramachandrapuram, 1.8cm at Madhapur. Across Telangana state as well, most of the areas received normal rainfall. However, at Nawabpet in Vikarabad district 12.7cm rainfall was recorded.

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