Hyderabad: Heavy rains in Hyderabad in the month of October 2020 caused largescale flooding in the old city. Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation area recorded 31cm of rainfall in a single day for the first time since 1916. Breaches and overflowing of surrounding lakes caused inundation in multiple areas.
TCS Foundation, in collaboration with the Tata Sustainability Group, partnered with Social Data Initiatives Forum (SDIF) and organised a three-day (March 10, 12 and 13, 2021) event wherein relief kits consisting of a two-burner gas stove, mixer-grinder and two mosquito nets were distributed to 1,000 affected households in the worst affected areas of Secunderabad, Santosh Nagar and Falaknuma. The items of the kit were finalised after consultations with women in the affected areas to understand their specific needs post the severe flooding.
On March 13, 2021, V Rajanna, senior vice president and global head, Technology Business Unit, and regional head, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, TCS, joined the relief distribution proceedings at Le Palais, Secunderabad. He lauded the entire team for their efforts and interacted with the families present to collect the kits. Dr Saleema and Mr Azam from SDIF and Mr Azhar from Safa Trust were also present at the distribution.
Krishna Byreddy, senior manager, TCS, coordinated the relief efforts in Hyderabad, with the assistance of the Tata group’s disaster response procurement cadre member Prashant Kumbhar, TCS. The distribution is a part of the larger response programme launched in Hyderabad by the TCS Foundation, coordinated by the Tata Sustainability Group.