When a group of BWSSB officials visited Kuppuswamy Layout behind HKBK College near Nagawara to resolve a water contamination issue on Friday, the residents literally drove them away. The officials were not even allowed to look into the problem.
The residents, who have planned a protest in front of the BWSSB head office on Saturday, argued that although they have been complaining for the last six months, authorities did not bother to resolve the problem. “Have you come now because we are staging a protest,” they asked the officials. Residents have more or less reconciled to the problem of water shortage, which they claim they are facing for the last two years. The area gets water only twice a week for not more than half an hour. And whatever little they get is highly contaminated, mixed with sewage and mud.
“Most of us have taken metered connections and the sewage particles get stuck in the meter too. The water smells bad and we are forced to buy mineral water,” said Suhail, a resident. He said they have to keep the taps running for the first 10 minutes for the sewage particles to get flushed out. Several people have taken ill and the medical expenses are an additional burden, he said.
Another resident Syed Sardar said he was forced to install a water purifier in his house, as his family often fell sick. “People, who are well off, can afford purifiers. Most of us buy water cans or fetch water from nearby localities,” Mr. Suhail said.
BWSSB engineer-in-chief T. Venkataraju said the problem had not been brought to his notice. “They only complained to the councillor and water inspectors. If they had complained to our engineers, we would have resolved the issue long ago,” he said.
B. Govindraju, former councillor of HBR Layout, dismissed the residents’ claim that they have been complaining to him for six months. “I got to know of the problem only two days ago. As I am no longer a councillor, I have given them the phone numbers of BWSSB officials,” he said.
