Residents of Shivajinagar live amidst overflowing filth

Residents of Shivajinagar live amidst overflowing filth

Afshan Yasmeen
— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

FLOW OF FILTH: Sewage flowing on street behind Broadway Road at Shivajinagar.
Bangalore: Husna Fatima dreads stepping out of her house on Nova Street, the one that runs parallel to Hazrat Kambal Posh (HKP) Road in Shivajinagar. Sewage gushing out of manholes has flooded the entire street with filth. With two toddlers in her house, she has to keep the door always closed lest they crawl onto the road.

Abdul Shukoor is worried the filth and squalor might result in an outbreak of diseases in the area. “The overflowing chambers have made life miserable for us. We are living in a mess. Everybody is affected and the roadside vendors are the worst hit because they cannot stand in that dirt and do their business,” Mr. Shukoor said.

When a team from The Hindu visited the area, several residents pointed out that the overflowing sewage water had even contaminated the groundwater in the area. Apart from Nova Street, manholes on HKP Road, earlier known as Broadway, and Veerapillai Street (behind Commercial Street) are also overflowing making life a nightmare for residents and shopkeepers.

“We get muddy water through our taps several times. Our children fall sick often and we are helpless,” said K.H. Aijaz Ahmed and Noorul Basar, who have their residence-cum-shops on Nova Street.

Mr. Basar is upset because he has to walk in the dirt to reach the mosque for prayers. “I carry a set of clothes and change before praying. Although this problem has made our life miserable for several years, the officials are not bothered,” he said.

“Whenever we complain about the problem, the officials send some men to clean up the drains. But the problem recurs within two days. It looks though there is no permanent solution to our woes,” Mohammed Farooq, who has a fruit juice stall on the corner of the Street, said.

The jurisdictional Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) officials admitted that the problem persisted for long. “The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has taken up construction of the main drain and culverts on the adjoining Nala Road. Most of sanitary lines have been damaged because of this,” a top BWSSB official said.

He said the underground drainage lines in the areas were laid 50 years ago. “These narrow lines are unable to carry the heavy load of waste and oil dumped by the non-vegetarian hotels in the area. Although we have repeatedly asked the hotel owners not to dump waste in the drains, they do not care,” the official said.