City’s drainage woes ignored
Overflowing drainage water has become a common sight in the city, posing serious health hazards to citizens. Complaints of sewage flowing onto the roads have been increasing from even posh localities, like Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills.
About 5,700 complaints were lodged with the Metro Customer Care call centre of the Water Board in June. Another 1,700 or so pertained to sewer chokes in residential premises. About 140 complaints registered with the MCC were about missing manhole covers and another 50 were about how silt removed from drains was being dumped right beside the manhole, which was flowing back to the drain when it rained.
The Water Board’s assurance to citizens that it will attend to the problem in 72 hours is only on paper. “I had lodged a complaint on June 21 and was given token number 4153 regarding sewerage choke and drainage water stagnating in the cellar of our apartments. Till date, it has not been attended to,” said Suprabhat Mukherjee, secretary of the RK Towers Owners Welfare Association, Mayuri Marg.
While the acknowledge-
While the acknowledgement of the complaint is received promptly by an SMS, the grievance remains unattended to
ment of the complaint is received promptly by SMS, the grievance remains unattended to. Raj Gopal, a retired sub-inspector and resident of Mayuri Marg, said that despite several complaints to the Water Board, GHMC authorities and even the local corporator, drainage was overflowing in front of the temple in their area.
Local corporator T. Maheshwari said upon her persuasion, an estimate of `1.15 crore was drawn up to clean and desilt the drain. The matter would be resolved soon, she said.
Water Board assistant engineer Venkatesham said the GHMC was responsible for the overflowing sewerage, as the domestic sewer pipelines are connected to the Kukatpally nullah whose water level is higher than the outlet point of sewer pipes that were therefore overflowing.