The anger after hundreds of residents woke up to inundated homes in the wee hours of Wednesday was apparent as they took to streets in protest and blocked National Highway 4.
Following heavy downpour in the region, Amanikere lake, which filled to the brim, started overflowing and entered the homes of nearby residents.
Houses were affected in Maruthi Layout, Vajarahalli, Binnamangala, Billal Nagar and Jothinagar localities in the lake’s vicinity.
“There was a heavy downpour from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Wednesday morning. The residents woke up to find water mixed with sewage and garbage gushing into their homes. Through the night, the residents struggled to drain the water from their homes,” said Kemparaju, president of Vajarahalli gram panchayat.
According to a police official, Binnamangala, Billalnagar and Jothinagar were completely closed for traffic, as there was around four feet of water on the roads. “People were struggling to come out of their homes,” he said.
Deepak, a resident of Maruthi Nagar, said, “Water entered houses in my area. There was around three feet water on the roads till Wednesday afternoon.”
Residents protest
Meanwhile, angry residents took to the streets around 7 a.m. and blocked NH 4 (Bengaluru-Tumakuru) accusing the government of apathy.
“For half-an-hour around 200 residents blocked the highway. As it was early morning hours, there wasn’t much of traffic disruption,” said the police.
This is not the first time that the residents have had to face this. Following incessant rains, the canal of Amanikere breached and the water gushed into homes in 2013. More than 200 houses on M.G. Road, Gajaria layout, Anjaneyaswamy layout and other areas were inundated.
“We had then written to the Chief Minister urging him to prioritise laying underground sewage lines and removing encroachments on the raja kaluve (big storm water drain). Yet, we find ourselves in the same situation four years hence. The government has failed to address the residents’ demands,” said K. Srinivasamurthy, Nelamangala MLA.
With more rains predicted over the next few days, residents fear there will be no respite for them.
