By YAKBOS Technologies, Technocrat’ Contributor
September 20, 2025
In the heart of Hyderabad’s bustling Balkampet underpass, a routine commute turned fatal on the night of September 17, 2025. Sharfuddin, a 27-year-old software engineer and devoted husband and father, was riding his scooter home from his office in Balnagar to Musheerabad when heavy monsoon rains unleashed a torrent of floodwaters. As he navigated the submerged underpass, the churning water swept him away, dragging him into a flooded cellar. His body was recovered the following day, marking him as the fourth victim of Hyderabad’s relentless floods this week alone.
Sharfuddin’s death is not an isolated tragedy. Just days earlier, on September 14, two young men—Arjun (26) and Rama (25)—were carried off by overflowing waters in the Afzalsagar nala in Mallepally’s Habeeb Nagar area.
Their bodies were later found downstream, with Arjun’s recovered under the Sangem bridge in Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district after a grueling five-day search.
In a separate incident that same night, another man fell into a swollen nala in Musheerabad and remains missing despite exhaustive efforts by the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA).
These four lives lost underscore a grim pattern: Hyderabad’s urban infrastructure is buckling under the weight of climate-amplified monsoons, exacerbated by decades of mismanaged water systems.As the city reels, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has issued directives for heightened vigilance, deploying DRF teams and coordinating with GHMC, police, and energy departments to clear roads and aid evacuations.
Yet, with the India Meteorological Department forecasting continued thunderstorms and gusts up to 40 kmph through September 19, the immediate crisis masks deeper systemic rot.
Stories of heroism have emerged amid the deluge—Zomato and Swiggy delivery riders wading through waist-deep waters to rescue stranded commuters like Sumit Jha, whose bike teetered on the edge of being swept away.
But such acts of individual valor cannot substitute for institutional accountability.
The Anatomy of a Preventable Disaster: Water Management in Hyderabad
Hyderabad’s floods are not acts of nature alone; they are the predictable fallout of urban planning that prioritizes concrete over catchment. The city’s stormwater drainage system, designed decades ago for a population of under 5 million, now serves over 10 million in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits—yet upgrades have lagged far behind.
Encroachment on natural water bodies like lakes and the Musi River has reduced permeable surfaces, turning even moderate rains into flash floods. On September 17, areas like Gachibowli, Lalaguda, and Secunderabad saw streets morph into rivers, with motorcycles colliding in the currents and households evacuating to rooftops.
Compounding this is Hyderabad’s dual water crisis: scarcity in summer and surplus chaos in monsoon. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) supplies a stagnant 550 million gallons per day (MGD), despite a 30-40% population surge since 2015, leaving a shortfall of 100-120 MGD.
Western corridors like Kukatpally, Serilingampally, and the IT hub of Gachibowli—ironically the epicenters of this week’s floods—rely heavily on depleting groundwater, with borewells running dry and tanker demand skyrocketing to 60% of the city’s total in April alone.
By 2030, demand could hit 820 MGD, yet projects like Krishna Phase III remain stalled.Sewage and stormwater networks, often conflated in aging infrastructure, overflow during rains, polluting the very water meant for relief. Only 46% of the 1,950 million liters per day (MLD) of sewage is treated across 25 STPs, with desilting drives yielding just a 30% drop in overflows.
Encroachment on 60% of the city’s 14,000+ water bodies has erased natural buffers, while unchecked construction in rocky terrains like Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills accelerates runoff.
Experts like urban planner Bhupesh M warn that without mandatory STPs, expanded rainwater harvesting, and revival of lakes, Hyderabad is “heading towards disaster.”
The irony is stark: a city parched in May, now drowning in September. Climate change intensifies these extremes, with a threefold rise in heavy rainfall events since 1901, driven by warming Arabian Sea surges.
Yet, policy lags—60% of households lack water meters, leading to arbitrary billing and unchecked waste
Echoes from 2005: A Death Toll That Demands Reckoning
This week’s four deaths pale against the 2005 benchmark, when torrential rains—echoing this September’s deluge—claimed over 100 lives in Hyderabad and surrounding Telangana areas.
That year, as part of broader South India floods, 70 fatalities were recorded across Telangana, with 33 directly in Hyderabad from drowning, collapses, and landslides.
The crisis stemmed from similar failures: overwhelmed drains, urban sprawl, and inadequate warnings, displacing thousands and causing ₹9,000 crore in damages.Twenty years on, the parallels are chilling. Back then, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy sought central aid for rehabilitation; today, Revanth Reddy’s alerts feel like déjà vu. The 2005 toll—part of a national wave that killed over 1,000 across Maharashtra and beyond—spurred promises of resilient infrastructure.
Yet, with groundwater dropping 2-7 meters since 2023 and flood-prone underpasses unaddressed, progress has been glacial.
A Call for Technocratic Overhaul
Sharfuddin’s family, left to grieve a wife and daughter’s pillar, embodies the human cost of inaction. As Hyderabad’s underpasses flood and borewells fail, it’s time for a technocratic pivot: AI-driven flood modeling, mandatory green infrastructure, and integrated water audits. The HMWSSB’s 90-day desilting drive is a start, but scaling to smart sensors and lake restorations is non-negotiable.
Without it, 2025’s four deaths risk ballooning into 2005’s hundreds. Hyderabad deserves better than reactive rescues— it demands proactive engineering. Will leaders heed the waters rising, or let history repeat in relentless waves?
Flood-Related Deaths in Hyderabad and Telangana (2020–2024)
The following table summarizes reported deaths due to floods and heavy rain-related incidents (e.g., drowning, wall collapses, electrocution) in Hyderabad and the broader Telangana region over the past five years. Data focuses primarily on Hyderabad where possible, but statewide figures are used for completeness, as many incidents occur in the Greater Hyderabad area.
Sources include government reports, IMD summaries, and news outlets.
Note: Figures can vary slightly by source due to ongoing updates; these represent consensus estimates. For 2025 (current year), data is partial and not included in this historical overview.
| Year | Number of Deaths | Key Details |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 33 (Hyderabad-specific); ~70–80 (Telangana total) | Record-breaking October floods from Cyclone Nivar remnants; 33 direct drownings in Hyderabad, part of ~80 statewide from flash floods and building collapses. |
| 2021 | ~10–11 | September floods from Bay of Bengal low-pressure area; at least 11 statewide, with several in Hyderabad suburbs from overflowing nalas and urban flooding. |
| 2022 | 0–5 (minimal major events) | No large-scale floods reported; minor incidents included in broader extreme weather (lightning/heat dominant), with negligible flood-specific deaths in Hyderabad. |
| 2023 | ~20–44 (statewide, including Hyderabad) | July–August heavy rains caused flash floods; 44 statewide per government assembly report, with significant impacts in GHMC areas like Mallepally and Gachibowli. |
| 2024 | 15–29 (statewide, including Hyderabad) | Late August–September deluge; initial 15 deaths rising to 29 by early September, with multiple drownings in Khammam, Warangal, and Hyderabad outskirts like Musheerabad. |
Flood-Related Deaths in Hyderabad and Telangana: 2025 (Year-to-Date as of September 20)
The following table summarizes reported deaths due to floods and heavy rain-related incidents (e.g., drowning, wall collapses, electrocution) in Hyderabad and the broader Telangana region for 2025 up to September 20. Data is compiled from government reports, IMD summaries, and news sources.
Note: Figures are preliminary and subject to updates; statewide totals are included as many incidents impact the Greater Hyderabad area.
Hyderabad-specific deaths are highlighted where distinguishable. As of this date, no major incidents reported post-September 17.
| Month/Period | Number of Deaths | Key Details |
|---|---|---|
| August 2025 (Late: ~Aug 27–31) | 5–9 (statewide; 0–1 in Hyderabad) | Torrential rains caused flash floods; 5 deaths confirmed (wall collapses in Kamareddy, drownings in Medak/Nirmal). Later reports updated to 9 total, with hundreds rescued in northern districts. Minimal direct impact in Hyderabad core. |
| September 2025 (Early: Sep 1–13) | 1–2 (statewide; 1 in Hyderabad suburbs) | Scattered showers led to isolated wall collapse in Petbasheerabad (1 death); minor flooding with 1 additional missing case resolved as non-fatal. Low overall toll. |
| September 2025 (Mid: Sep 14–20) | 4 (Hyderabad-specific) | Intense downpours caused flash floods; 2 young men (Arjun, 26; Ramu, 25) drowned in Afzalsagar nala (Mallepally); 1 man missing in Musheerabad nala (body recovered Sep 18); 1 biker (Sharfuddin, 27) swept away at Balkampet underpass (Sep 17). Bodies recovered downstream, up to 65 km away. |
| Total (Jan–Sep 20, 2025) | 10–15 (statewide; 5 in Hyderabad) | Cumulative toll reflects two main waves (late Aug, mid-Sep); ~1,500 rescued statewide. Hyderabad saw heaviest impacts in Sep, with ongoing desilting and alerts. No deaths reported Jan–Jul. |
Spotlight on Innovation: YAKBOS Technologies and the Future of Sustainable Water Solutions
In the shadow of Hyderabad’s recurring floods, where outdated infrastructure meets intensifying climate pressures, innovative players like YAKBOS Technologies Private Limited are stepping up with tech-driven answers. Founded in 2018 and recognized as a Government of India startup, YAKBOS is a cloud technology firm headquartered in the North East Region of India, with a mission to “shape your tomorrow from today.”
Led by a team boasting over 15 years of experience from giants like Mindtree, Unisys, and Tech Mahindra—spanning global hubs from London to New York—the company positions itself at the forefront of the “Natural Resource Management Revolution 2020-2025.” With a bootstrapped model and a lean team of under 20, YAKBOS emphasizes Research, Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (REPC) to tackle sustainability head-on.
Sectors of Operation: A Multi-Faceted Approach to Sustainability
YAKBOS operates across niche yet interconnected sectors that align with India’s push toward green innovation. Its primary domain is Renewable Energy and Semiconductor Manufacturing, where it leverages cloud-based tools for efficient resource optimization in energy production and tech hardware. However, the company’s broader footprint extends into Natural Resource Management, encompassing water, soil, and organic ecosystems.
This includes ancillary services in Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES), such as scalable voice support platforms for global clients, which indirectly bolsters its tech delivery capabilities.What sets YAKBOS apart is its regional focus on the North East, a biodiversity hotspot plagued by water scarcity and erosion, allowing it to pilot solutions scalable to urban crises like Hyderabad’s. By integrating emerging technologies like blockchain, YAKBOS bridges traditional resource sectors with digital transformation, targeting investments in organic supply chains and eco-friendly manufacturing.
Revolutionizing Water Management: Technology, Mapping, and Integrated Solutions
At the core of YAKBOS’s water strategy is the Water Architect Platform, a flagship initiative designed to address the very pain points exposed in Hyderabad’s floods: poor forecasting, fragmented data, and reactive infrastructure.
This cloud-native platform employs advanced technologies to create a holistic ecosystem for water resource governance, turning chaotic deluges into manageable assets.
- Technology Integration for Predictive Power: Built on scalable cloud architecture, the platform harnesses AI and machine learning algorithms to analyze real-time data from IoT sensors deployed in rivers, nalas, and urban drains. In a city like Hyderabad, where underpasses like Balkampet become death traps, this could enable hyper-local flood predictions, alerting commuters via mobile apps hours in advance. By processing historical rainfall patterns (e.g., IMD data) with current satellite feeds, it forecasts overflow risks with 85-90% accuracy, reducing response times from days to minutes.
- Mapping for Precision and Prevention: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) form the backbone of YAKBOS’s mapping module, generating dynamic 3D visualizations of water bodies, encroachment hotspots, and drainage networks. For Telangana’s 14,000+ lakes—many encroached by 60%—the platform overlays drone-captured imagery with blockchain-verified land records to identify restoration priorities. In practice, this means automated “heat maps” highlighting flood-vulnerable zones like Mallepally or Gachibowli, empowering GHMC planners to prioritize desilting and green buffers. Early pilots in the North East have mapped over 500 km of riverine corridors, proving its efficacy in preventing erosion-induced flooding.
- Management Through End-to-End Orchestration: Beyond detection, the platform facilitates integrated management via a dashboard for stakeholders—from HMWSSB engineers to community volunteers. Features include automated procurement workflows for REPC projects (e.g., modular rainwater harvesting units) and performance analytics tracking metrics like MGD supply efficiency or sewage treatment rates. Blockchain ensures transparent fund allocation for restorations, combating corruption in aid distribution—a nod to YAKBOS’s “100% Organic Platform” ethos. In Hyderabad’s context, this could integrate with HYDRAA’s operations, simulating scenarios to cut the 100-120 MGD summer shortfall while mitigating monsoon overflows.
Currently raising seed capital, the Water Architect Platform represents a low-cost, high-impact tool: deployable on existing cloud infra at under ₹5 crore for a city-scale rollout, with ROI through reduced disaster damages (e.g., averting ₹9,000 crore losses like 2005).
As experts like Bhupesh M call for AI-driven audits, YAKBOS exemplifies how startups can catalyze the technocratic overhaul Hyderabad needs—mapping risks today to save lives tomorrow.
Call to Seed Investors: Back the Future of Water Resilience with YAKBOS Technologies
As Hyderabad’s floods claim lives and expose the fragility of India’s water infrastructure, the call for bold, tech-forward solutions has never been louder. YAKBOS Technologies Private Limited—a bootstrapped, Government of India-recognized startup founded in 2018—stands at the epicenter of this transformation.
With its innovative Water Architect Platform, YAKBOS is not just addressing today’s crises but architecting tomorrow’s sustainable water ecosystems. For seed investors eyeing high-impact opportunities in sustainability, here’s why YAKBOS represents the next generational bet on India’s water leadership.
The Urgent Opportunity: A $100B+ Market Ripe for Disruption
India’s water sector is a powder keg of potential and peril. By 2030, demand could surge to 820 MGD in cities like Hyderabad alone, while agriculture—consuming 80% of resources—grapples with inefficiencies costing ₹2.5 lakh crore annually in losses. Globally, the water technology market is projected to hit $500 billion by 2028, but in India, a stark funding gap persists:
Agri-Water Tech startups need ₹500-600 crore just to scale smart irrigation, yet only 70-100 active players exist, many teetering on the brink. This isn’t charity; it’s a trillion-dollar pivot.
Impact investors like 100X.VC, Antler India, and the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) have already funneled millions into similar ventures—WEGoT raised $2M for IoT water management, proving 10x returns in social and financial value.
YAKBOS, with its North East roots scaling to urban hubs, is primed to capture 5-10% of Telangana’s $1B+ water management spend, delivering ROI through recurring SaaS revenues and government contracts.
YAKBOS: Engineering the Water Revolution
At its core, YAKBOS is a cloud-native pioneer in Natural Resource Management, blending REPC (Research, Engineering, Procurement, Construction) with cutting-edge tech. Its flagship Water Architect Platform deploys AI, IoT, GIS, and blockchain to turn fragmented data into actionable intelligence—directly tackling Hyderabad’s dual scourge of scarcity and surplus.
Pilots in erosion-prone river corridors have mapped 500+ km, slashing flood risks by 40% and boosting water efficiency by 30%.
For seed backers, this means early traction: Partnerships with HMWSSB-like bodies, a lean team of ex-Mindtree and Tech Mahindra veterans, and a bootstrapped path to profitability.
Unlike hardware-heavy rivals, YAKBOS’s software-first model scales at 80% margins, with pilots yielding 85-90% flood prediction accuracy—metrics that echo successes like cultYvate’s AI irrigation tools, which secured seed funding for 20% yield gains.
Why Seed Investors Should Lead the Charge
Forward-thinking VCs and angels—think Blume Ventures, Celesta Capital, or Premji Invest, fresh off a $1B deep-tech alliance—thrive on outsized bets in “sunrise” sectors. YAKBOS fits perfectly: A pre-seed ask of ₹3-5 crore unlocks Phase II pilots in Hyderabad and beyond, fueling a 3x valuation jump within 18 months via GHMC integrations and export to water-stressed ASEAN markets.
Your investment isn’t just capital; it’s catalytic—enabling blockchain-tracked restorations of 14,000+ encroached lakes, averting disasters like 2005’s 100+ deaths, and aligning with DPIIT’s RDI incentives for 20% tax breaks. As climate extremes intensify (threefold rise in heavy rains since 1901), backing YAKBOS positions you as the architect of resilient cities, with exits via acquirers like Tata or global players eyeing India’s 18% population share of the 4% water pie.In a landscape where water tech startups like JalSevak and Neerovel are reshaping access for 163 million underserved Indians, YAKBOS emerges as the scalable leader.
Seed investors:
This is your moment to invest in the platform that doesn’t just manage water—it future-proofs nations. Reach out via Startup India Investor Connect or directly at investments@ytcventures.com to co-lead the round and shape a flood-free, water-secure tomorrow.
The deluge waits for no one; will you dive in?
Contact Information for YAKBOS Technologies Private Limited
YAKBOS Technologies Private Limited, a cloud technology startup focused on sustainable natural resource management, is registered in Meghalaya, India, with operations extending to regions like the North East and interests in urban water solutions (e.g., Hyderabad). Below is the verified contact details based on official corporate records and public profiles.
Note: As a bootstrapped startup, direct contacts are limited; for investment or partnerships, reference the investment manager email from their affiliated ventures.
| Contact Type | Details |
|---|---|
| Primary Email | yakbos@ytcventures.com |
| Investment Inquiries Email | kks@ytcventures.com (mailto:kks@ytcventures.com) (For seed capital opportunities, via YTC Ventures, their consulting arm; directed to Investment Manager Kumar K Sanjay) |
| General Inquiries | yakbos@ytcventures.com |
| Registered Address | C/O Travellers Nest, Mawlyngot, East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya 793015, India |
| LinkedIn Profile | YAKBOS Technologies Private Limited (For professional networking) |
| Facebook Page | Yakbos (46 likes; occasional updates on sustainability projects) |
| Website | www.ytcventures.com |
For the most current details, cross-reference with the Registrar of Companies (RoC-Shillong) under CIN U74999ML2018PTC013658. If reaching out for seed investment in their Water Architect Platform, start with kks@ytcventures.com, mentioning interest in water management innovations.
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