Residents live in constant fear of water-borne diseases

August 17, 2017 12:36 am | Updated 12:36 am IST - Bengaluru

A house at the BMTC quarters in Shantinagar being cleaned on Wednesday. With the rain flushing sewage on to the streets and homes, water contamination is a big concern.

A house at the BMTC quarters in Shantinagar being cleaned on Wednesday. With the rain flushing sewage on to the streets and homes, water contamination is a big concern.

With sump water getting contaminated in Koramangala and other parts of the city, including Wilson Garden and HSR Layout, residents and health officials are on high alert to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases.

In some parts of Koramangala 4th Block, residents got private agencies to clean and disinfect the sumps. “However, the stink remains. No one has come to clean the streets and there is a high chance of a disease outbreak,” said Ashu Kapoor, a resident whose neighbourhood was flooded on Tuesday morning.

The residents of an apartment complex in Wilson Complex, fearing the spread of diseases from contaminated water, are regularly monitoring the quality of water in the sump. For now, they have bypassed the sump and are pumping borewell water directly to the apartment’s overhead tank. “We will wait for a few days and clean the sump before using it again,” said Sharath R., who lives in the complex.

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Chief Health Officer M.N. Lokesh said that with sewage contaminating groundwater in many parts of the city, there was a high risk of diseases such gastroenteritis. “People should make sure they drink only boiled cooled water or purified water,” he said.

Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board and health officials are on the ground monitoring the situation and checking leakages reported from all areas, he added. Six mobile medical units are on standby to attend to a disease outbreak.

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