Hyderabad’s dream of becoming Dallas or Singapore has just been washed away – literally. Torrential rains have done what civic promises could not: rebrand the city overnight. Why bother copying glass towers and manicured roads when we can instead embrace gondolas and floating markets?
Roads, ORR, and pothole paradise
The daily commute has been upgraded to an extreme sport. Invisible ditches, potholes, and craters appear like surprise packages on every street. Even the much-hyped ORR has joined the party, taking a dip under floodwaters.
From Ameerpet to the IT corridor, Toli Chowki to Banjara Hills, Hyderabad has become a sprawling network of waterways. Drivers no longer need GPS – they need sonar.
Venetian vision
Forget flyovers and metros. The time has come for shikaras and houseboats. Why not launch a ‘Venice of Deccan’ campaign and lure tourists with boat rides through Jubilee Hills and Madhapur? Evening cruises along the Musi could be the city’s new cultural hallmark.
Floating economy
Like in Bangkok, floating markets could sprout at every nala, selling hot mirchi bajjis and spicy kababs. Inspired by Kerala’s backwaters, Hyderabad could have luxury houseboats anchored near Gachibowli, complete with high-speed Wi-Fi for techies stranded by floods. State coffers will swell, while civic sense remains conveniently submerged.
River rafting, anyone?
As reservoirs brim and overflow and the stinky Musi roars with rainwater, Hyderabad is ready to launch river rafting as its new adventure sport. Adrenaline junkies can swap Rishikesh for Afzalgunj, bouncing along rapids created by stormwater drains.
Old-timers still recall the great floods of 1908, recounted by their grandparents or read in schoolbooks, when dozens of people saved themselves by climbing a tamarind tree in front of Osmania Hospital. The tree still stands a century later, unlike the civic infrastructure that collapses at every shower.
Water world beckons
If Dallas is out of reach and Singapore is too dry, why not embrace our true destiny? Hyderabad does not need to compete with global business hubs. We can simply row into the future – paddling from pothole to pothole in a glorious water world called ‘Venice of Deccan’.
After all, it takes only one downpour to turn every tall civic promise into a sinking feeling.
