Hyderabad to adopt Bengaluru-style flood management after recent cloudbursts

Hyderabad: In the wake of recent cloudbursts that brought Hyderabad to its knees, the city is moving to adopt a flood-management system inspired by Bengaluru.

The Telangana Development Planning Society (TGDPS) and HYDRAA are collaborating on a plan to deliver location-specific flood warnings in near real time, aiming to minimise disruption to public life and ensure faster relief during heavy downpours.

15-minute flood and rain updates

TGDPS currently measures rainfall using gauges placed every four square kilometres, sending hourly updates to agencies like Fire Services, GHMC and the Electricity Department.

Officials now plan to shorten this cycle to every 15 minutes, enabling faster alerts to the public. HYDRAA has mapped rainfall thresholds for each locality, detailing how much rain will trigger flooding, which areas will be submerged, the expected duration of waterlogging, and potential traffic impact.

By combining this analysis with TGDPS’s frequent updates, authorities hope to issue early advisories that can help commuters avoid flood-hit routes.

Cloudbursts crippled the city

In recent weeks, sudden and intense cloudbursts have paralysed the city on multiple occasions. Torrential rain, often striking during evening rush hours, left key roads under several feet of water.

Traffic came to a grinding halt, with commuters stranded for hours. In some neighbourhoods, water entered homes and shops, damaging property and forcing residents to wade through waist-deep water. Emergency services struggled to reach affected areas as jams stretched for kilometres.

Keeping traffic moving

Officials believe timely alerts will encourage employees in flood-prone areas to delay their commute until conditions improve, reducing road congestion. This, in turn, will make it easier to deploy emergency machinery like JCBs and water pumps to critical zones.

Why is this urgent?

Hyderabad is grappling with more intense rainfall events, a drainage system operating beyond its capacity, and an ever-growing number of vehicles.

Experts warn that unless proactive measures are implemented, the city will continue to face hours-long paralysis after even moderate showers. The TGDPS–HYDRAA initiative is being positioned as a crucial step towards climate-resilient urban management, according to HYDRAA officials.

What is TGDPS?

TGDPS was established to function with various objectives, related to the preparation of disaster mitigation plans; analyse climate change impacts; conduct gap and growth analysis, carry out pilot projects and research in the state’s economic and social sector.