Friday downpour floods Hyderabad roads, leaves commuters battling hours-long jams

Hyderabad: A heavy downpour on Friday night brought relief after a prolonged dry spell but triggered widespread traffic chaos, trapping thousands of commuters in agonising peak-hour gridlocks across the city.

The downpour struck as offices and businesses closed for the weekend, inundating key stretches of the IT Corridor and other areas under the GHMC, CMC and MMC. Major arterial roads turned into slow-moving queues, with motorists facing waterlogged diversions and near-zero visibility, particularly along the western IT corridors.

Roads already narrowed by excavation zones, barricaded flyover works and diversions for ongoing HCITI works at IIIT Junction, Gachibowli, around KBR Park and Uppal X Roads struggled to cope with the rain and traffic. Journeys that usually take 20 minutes stretched into several hours, while traffic queues extended for kilometres.

Traffic police regulated vehicle movement, while DRF and MRT teams of the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) tackled waterlogging and cleared key stretches.

Several citizens took to social media to recount the hardships they faced due to the downpour and waterlogged roads, while blaming civic bodies for uncoordinated roadworks that worsened the disruption.

Sudden heavy rain causes severe waterlogging on roads at Osmangunj in Begum Bazar, Hyderabad, disrupting traffic and making it difficult for commuters and pedestrians to navigate the flooded streets on Friday night. (Photo: Anand Dharmana)