On the night of November 25, a bizarre and scary incident occurred in the Hyderabad city’s Subhash Nagar when a mysterious blood-red liquid gushed onto the streets, causing panic among the people. The liquid, colored like blood, was dripping from a manhole of the Jeedimetla industrial area, and with the overpowering stench of it, locals were gagging for air.
The foul smell combined with the terrible sight sent shock waves in the community, where people speculated that the industrial waste dumped into the sewer system could be some sort of expired paint. The liquid was overflowing in the streets, causing breathing difficulties and prompting concerns about the region’s waste management.
Pollution Concerns and Speculation About Industrial Waste
Residents immediately voiced concerns about the lack of oversight regarding the disposal of industrial waste in the area. “This incident reveals a severe lack of monitoring over how industrial waste is being handled. There needs to be stricter action taken by the Pollution Control Board and GHMC to prevent such hazardous dumping,” K Lakshman, a resident of Jeedimetla, told The Times of India (TOI).
Suddenly, #redwater poured out of a manhole near the #Jeedimetla Industrial Estate in Venkatadri Nagar, Subhash Nagar division.With the water flowing on two roadways and a heavy stench emanating, the inhabitants were having difficulty breathing. pic.twitter.com/dqqhf9Pner
— Mohd Lateef Babla (@lateefbabla) November 26, 2024
Despite the speculation about expired paint being discarded into the sewer, officials from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) denied these claims. An official from the board clarified that there were no prior reports of such discolored water emerging from the local sewer system, suggesting that the chemical waste was more likely dumped directly onto the streets.
The situation, which had raised alarms among residents, was quickly addressed. By the following morning, local authorities had cleaned the streets, restoring normalcy to the area. However, questions about the oversight of waste management in industrial zones remain unresolved.
This incident in Hyderabad follows a trend of mysterious liquid appearances in different parts of the world. In November 2023, similar videos of green slime appearing along New York streets went viral. Though that event was linked to a dye used by plumbers, it highlighted the concerns over improper waste disposal and the potential hazards of unidentified liquids in urban areas.
As Hyderabad recovers from the shock, residents are calling for immediate measures to regulate industrial waste disposal more strictly, to prevent similar incidents from recurring in the future.
