Problems galore for this colony

The residents of a nondescript slum in Bowenpally are exposed to serious health risks as the area lacks a proper sanitation system. Adding to that is the presence of a culvert that carries industrial effluents and wastes from nearby areas which makes the situation all the more worse. Stench emanating from the sewage let into the culvert has become unbearable for the residents living there.

As summer is approaching, residents fear that the mosquito menace will increase alarmingly as dirty water stagnates in the culvert. There are no garbage bins in the colony and the garbage is dumped on the streets and lies there for days together. The slum children are prone to diseases as they often eat and play on the street. They are forced to defecate in the open as only a limited number of toilets available to them.

“The authorities don’t seem to understand our plight. I work at a construction site and earn about 150 rupees on a daily basis. My child was admitted in the hospital for a week during the monsoon last year as he was suffering from diarrhoea. Our children are the ones who are left to suffer,” rued 32-year-old Vani.

The residents have urged the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) officials to initiate steps to create basic amenities, but their request has not been granted for years now. In the recent Cantonment board elections, almost every candidate visited the area. “All the candidates contesting from this ward visited the colony, everyone promised to address our concerns, but the fact remains that we couldn’t even get a glimpse of the candidate who won from this ward,” says 52-year-old Revathi, a government employee.

The surrounding localities are well developed, claims another resident. “Our colony has been under-developed ever since, only during elections there’s a flow of all parties rallying and lobbying for their candidate, but after polls we are neglected. I was admitted with dengue for almost two weeks. We are forced to struggle with mosquitoes and suffer ailments, and it’s a shame that the civic authorities are not able to take cognisance of such basic needs,” said another resident.

Astonishingly the tar road ends right at the lane that leads to this colony, “We do not even have kutcha road, there has been no initiative whatsoever to repair the road and during monsoon the road turns slushy, leaving us indoor not being able to venture out,” expressed a student. The residents demand that the authorities to inspect the colony to ensure the sanitation system is in place and basic infrastructure facilities are provided.

By:Navatha Y