After flood horror, it’s days of blackout in Secunderabad

SECUNDERABAD: For 10 days now, Model Tower apartments in Bowenpally’s Bapuji Nagar, has no power supply. With the cellar, which has the electrical board, still inundated, residents of the 24 flats here have been left struggling for basic necessities: food, water or even communicating with friends and family.
While some are relying on inverters – even those they are using sparingly – and local curry points, some others have shifted out to relatives’ homes, to deal the crisis.“It seems like we have been

cut off from the rest of the world. Since we can only run the inverters for a limited time, or mobiles are often completely discharged. We have barely managed to connect with our families,” said Sujatha S, who lives in the apartment complex. Though officials have been approached over the power crisis, they said it cannot be restored unless the water is entirely drained out. “Moreover, the stench from the cellar is unbearable,” added another resident of the building.
In many other residential areas across the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) -- adversely affected by the recent rains – the situation is much the same. Locals of Saibaba Colony, adjacent to Ramanna Kunta, for instance are spending hundreds of rupees every day to buy water. The locality has no power supply for more than five days. “Not only is there no potable water, even the sumps in the locality are filled with sewerage water...So, buying water cans is our only option,” said a resident.
Such is the crisis that R Jagannath, who lives in Ganesh Colony – it’s been without power supply for many days now – had to shift his daughter to a relative’s home in Begumpet. “She works for an MNC in Madhapur and cannot get leave for so many days. Initially, she worked using the inverter, but once that was discharged, she had no choice,” he said.
According to official estimates, nearly 50 colonies, out of the 85 in the SCB’s ward no VI, are still reeling under the effects of inundation. When TOI contacted SCB senior superintendent (SWM) M Devender assured that sanitation workers were attending to the de-watering work.
“We will clean the cellars soon so that power can be restored,” he said.