It has been a harrowing experience for the residents of Barkas, especially those living south of the Gurram Cheruvu bund, following the lake bund breach.
Residents of Hamshan Colony, Ali Gulshan Colony and Sayeed Colony say when the waters rose as rains lashed the city last Tuesday night, alarm bells went off. By Wednesday, without warning, water gushed into the neighbourhoods. This Tuesday, almost a week later, help was yet to arrive.
Unbearable stench
“I called leaders so many times and there has been no response. No government officer has come to take stock of the situation. All you can see are four or five GHMC sanitation workers who are trying to clear the muck off the roads. What can only four or five people do? The stench here is unbearable,” said Ali bin Abdallah, a resident of the area, even as he points to bags of spoiled rice, wet and soiled mattresses, adding that a large number of residents are daily wage earners.
Later in the day, a couple of trucks arrived, and began clearing slush and mud. The simmering anger over a delayed response among the locals was palpable. When the waters rose, they only had each other’s help.
TJ workers on the job
A short distance away, Tablighi Jamaat (TJ) workers, wearing latex gloves and armed with mops, were seen clearing properties of muck.
“The Mallepally Markaz asked us to come here to clean houses. So far, we must have cleaned 100 houses,” said a man who identified himself as Waris, a TJ worker.
There are two educational institutions on both sides of the road — the Madrasa-e-Ilahia, which imparts religious education, and the Al Qarmoshi Global School, which prepares students for Secondary School Certificate exams.
“Our school recognition and extension of recognition certificates are damaged. Old records have been washed away. What will we do now,” asked Mohammed Abdul Raheem Al Qarmoshi, who has been teaching at the school for over 20 years.
Masood bin Abdul Raheem from the madrassa on the other side of the slush covered road asks something similar. “We are still waiting for help from leaders and baldiya (GHMC) officials. Our religious books are drenched as the water here reached over 5 feet hight,” he said.
A banana seller in Hamshan Colony opened the small wicket gate to his house, pointed inside and said, “There is nothing left.”
