The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) has reviewed plans to remove encroachments and clear silt and debris from the Kukatpally nala in Balanagar and Fatehnagar, after officials found that the drain’s width had reduced from 40 metres to nine metres across several industrial-area stretches.
HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath held the review meeting with officials from the Cyberabad and Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation and representatives of industrial cooperative societies, according to a report by Deccan Chronicle. The meeting focused on clean-up and encroachment-removal work along the nala.
The Kukatpally nala is part of a stormwater network that carries flows from Pariki Cheruvu and IDL lakes, as well as stormwater from Foxsagar, towards Hussainsagar. Officials said removing accumulated silt and debris, along with structures raised on the drain line, would be important to restrict flooding in the industrial areas.
The scale of the narrowing highlights the operational challenge facing the authorities. A drain originally identified as 40 metres wide has been reduced to nine metres in several locations because of encroachments. The affected sections are located in and around industrial areas of Balanagar and Fatehnagar, where restricted flow can increase the risk of waterlogging during heavy rain.
According to the report, about 2.2 kilometres of the nala falls under CMC limits, while another two kilometres lies under MMC limits in the industrial area. The source refers to officials from the Cyberabad and Malkajgiri municipal corporations during the review meeting, but does not provide a detailed division of responsibilities for each stage of the proposed work.
Representatives of the industrial cooperative societies told officials they would cooperate in clearing the encroachments. They also asked the authorities to begin work in areas that are particularly vulnerable to flooding and to pursue a permanent solution rather than only short-term clearance before the rains.
The meeting places the Kukatpally nala within a wider drainage-management problem: stormwater from multiple lakes and catchments converges into a channel whose capacity has been reduced by silt, debris and construction along the drain line. The report does not specify the number of encroachments, the schedule for removal, the proposed restoration width or whether any notices have already been issued to affected occupants.
The next steps discussed by officials are the removal of silt and debris, identification and clearance of encroachments, and prioritisation of the most flood-prone stretches. The authorities have not announced a completion timeline in the information available.
