The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Where hygiene goes down the drain

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Monday, Jul 06, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Where hygiene goes down the drain

Abhijit Dev Kumar

Open drainage plagues Soujanya Colony

Photo: NAGARA GOPAL

Action please: Drainage water flowing near a house in Soujanya Colony in Bowenpally. –

Hyderabad: It stinks! And with every passing day, the stench gets worse. Thanks to official apathy, open drain lines in Soujanya Colony at Bowenpally overflow onto roads, forcing residents to stay indoors or wade into drain water.

For those who cannot help but go out, it has become a daily ritual to keep a tab on levels of the filthy water that keep changing during the day. For residents like Gopal Mantri, there are days when the sewerage flows across the road right up to their homes.

“It is difficult to get out of our homes during mornings as the drains overflow, blocking roads in the colony. The stench is unbearable and nothing has been done by officials concerned to solve the problem,” he complains.

The root cause of the problem is that drainage flowing from municipal areas comes through Ramannakunta Lake and is routed towards Soujanya Colony, where the drain lines are shallow and narrow.

Owing to increased construction activity in municipal areas on the other side of the lake, levels of drainage flowing into it and thus into the colony increased drastically.

Seeking help to solve the problem, residents submitted a representation to the Secunderabad Cantonment Board five years ago and the area has been inspected by board officials several times since then.

“We need underground pipelines only then the problem will be solved. With drains overflowing, the whole area becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes and hence causing health problems,” says Mr. Mantri.

Recently, SCB Chief Executive Officer C. Ravindra had inspected the colony and its surrounding areas. He said estimates were being prepared for laying underground lines to start work as soon as possible.

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