Daily life has turned a nightmare for residents of Pottery Road, as a sewage drain has been overflowing for close to a week now. Sewage lines in the area are clogged, leading to the flooding of a stretch of the main road. A BWSSB official, Gangadhar, claimed that the problem was fixed late on Monday evening.
However, sanitation problems are not new to Pottery Road, especially due to contamination of drinking water by sewage. “The stench is unbearable. The elderly and children often suffer fever, diarrhoea, vomiting due to the mixing of sewage and drinking water. We cannot afford to pay hospital bills so often. We are helpless,” said Madhu, one of the residents.
Residents dump waste behind their dwellings, leading to further stench and diseases.
Sewage water has also become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, leading to a host of infections.
“We have been pooling Rs. 500 to Rs 700 thrice a month for almost three years to ensure that sewage does not mix with drinking water, with little aid from local authorities,” complained Mary, another distressed resident.
Though a project to re-lay the pipeline has been sanctioned and the pipes have arrived, they lay unused on the roadside.