The recent incident of a man falling into an open drain in Vambay (Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana) Colony in Vijayawada has brought the issue of the danger posed by open drains to the fore once again.
On February 22 (Thursday) morning, the body of K. Appanna, a 47-year-old auto driver, was found in the drain adjacent to the Ravindra Bharathi Public School in the colony. Nunna Police Station Sub-inspector Srinivasa Rao said that while they are waiting for the post-mortem report, it looks like an accident where he either slipped while walking home or may have fallen into the drain under the influence of alcohol on February 21 (Wednesday) night.
The police officer said that a similar incident involving a middle-aged man falling into the same drain was reported just last month. “We suspect that this too was a case where the man was drunk. We have written to the corporation requesting that the drain be closed to prevent such incidents as there is a bar nearby,” Mr. Srinivasa Rao said.
In the last one year, this is the fourth incident to have happened in the city. The first one took place in Gurunanak Colony during the heavy rain in May where a five-year old boy fell into an open drain while playing and got washed away. The second one took place in November, when, a child fell into the drain while playing outside his house in Old Rajarajeswari Peta. The other two were from Vambay Colony.
The drain in which Appanna fell is more than 5 feet deep with 3 feet water. “It gets filled with water during the rainy season. If it happened with us today, it may happen with the children tomorrow,” said Appanna’s brother K. Hari, who works at a restaurant in One Town.
Appanna’s friends and residents said that though it could be possible he was drunk that night, chances of him surviving or escaping with minor injuries would have been possible if the drain was covered. “He has left behind a wife and three children, all aged between 21 and 24, who now have the burden of clearing debts to the tune of ₹6 lakh,” said Mr. Hari.
Residents feel that the open drain right next to a school and a playground is a danger waiting to happen. The school authorities too have requested that the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation take measures to close the drain.
Commissioner Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar said that they are placing iron grills and constructing walls over drains where it does not affect the cleaning. “Construction of walls is being taken up on request basis. We check whether the drain cleaning would be affected and then go ahead,” he said.
Blaming the VMC for the incident, CPI (M) leader Ch. Babu Rao said that the corporation has to identify vulnerable spots in the city and make an action plan to address the issue. He also pointed out how the stormwater drain project has been in the doldrums for years now.
