The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Water supply still a mirage at VAMBAY

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Tuesday, Dec 23, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Water supply still a mirage at VAMBAY

Yogendra Kalavalapalli

Water tanker comes once in five or six days
Huge garbage dump yard adds to their woes

HYDERABAD: For residents of Block 21 of PJR Nagar VAMBAY quarters in Yellammabanda, Kukatpally, it has turned out to be a vain wait of more than three hours. Pitchers and water drums in tow, they waited, but the water tanker did not arrive.

Arduous wait

The wait was arduous and they could hardly hide their frustration.

“Though we were allotted these quarters six months ago, we still don’t have water connection or a borewell,” they lament.

“A water tanker comes once in five or six days and that too only when one among us escorts it personally,” complains a resident.

At times, the tanker does not come for a week or more and what comes often is a small one, they grumble.

Each of the households gets around three buckets in addition to a drum-full of water. “This is too meagre for five of us in the family,” points out a resident referring to the 35 quarters in the block.

Diseases rampant

To add to their woes is a huge garbage dump yard, with mosquitoes and flies setting up colonies around the heaps, in their backyard. “Diseases are rampant here and many are currently suffering from jaundice, malaria and cold fever,” says an elderly woman.

Medical expenses

“Our medical expenses are shooting up with one or other in the family falling sick regularly,” the elderly lady adds. “Though some blocks have borewell facility, they don’t want to share with us and leading to street quarrels, another woman reveals.

“They just dumped us in these homes but not one official or politician came after the inaugural to take note of our problems,” is the complaint of many.

Clueless

When some residents approached the Kukatpally Municipal authorities, they were asked to furnish the original allotment letter to facilitate piped water connection. They, however, are clueless about the document.

Confused with bureaucratic hassles, they have given up all hopes of getting water connections.

“We are not asking for the sky. Clean up the garbage and provide us at least a borewell and that will solve half of our problems,” they say in unison.

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