Residents of Gururaj Layout in Ranka Colony in Bilekahalli, whose houses were inundated twice in the recent rains, are still struggling to return to normalcy as the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) flood response team failed to arrive to pump the water out.
Water entered at least 30 houses on May 10 and May 14 following massive overflow from a nearby drain. Rainwater along with sewage, waste, dead rodents and snakes entered these houses, which are still reeking of sewage stench, posing a risk to the health of the residents.
The affected residents were unable to eat food for hours, even the children went hungry as the cooking utensils were also contaminated. “As BBMP team did not arrive to pump the water out, we had to do it ourselves manually. Using buckets, we cleared the water and it took hours to complete the work. As the rainwater was filled with sewage, the floors were washed again using washing powders,” said Ammu Murugan, whose house was affected.
S. Kavita, another resident, said apart from houses, multiple roads were flooded and the situation on the 6th main road was worse. Despite the residents calling the BBMP for help, no staff arrived at the affected locality, they alleged, adding that the residents were left to fend for themselves.
Residents say the problem in this layout is perennial and the BBMP is yet to come out with a permanent solution. They also said the BBMP staff had arrived to help earlier, but were clueless as to why help was not extended this time. Ms. Kavita said the health of the people is at risk as many areas have turned into mosquito breeding spots and the stench due to sewage water is still persisting. She urged the BBMP to fix the problem in the layout.
A BBMP official at the Bommanahalli office talking to The Hindu said the civic body was unable to pump water as the contract for pumping had ended and due to elections, there was a delay in calling fresh tender. He also said due to heavy traffic movement on the 6th main road in the layout, the culvert was damaged, resulting in the overflow of water. He said a team would be dispatched to clear the debris and waste settled on the road due to flooding. However, he did not provide more details about when the civic body would fix the problem of culvert, which is one of key reasons for flooding in the area.
Meanwhile, BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath, at a press meet on Saturday (May 18), said the BBMP is fully prepared to tackle the flooding if it rains in the next two days. “The teams are working round the clock in flood prone areas and cleaning the drains. The public need not panic when the city receives rainfall,” he said.
