HYDERABAD: Residents of Allapur ward near Borabanda, very close to Jubilee Hills, are in a constant fear that their kids might fall into the wide open sewerage lines that run through various residential localities.
In many places the sewerage lines pass right in front of the houses, making the conditions much more precarious for children in these houses.Safdar Nagar is one such area where people have to cross an open sewer everytime they get out of their houses as open drains flow right adjacent to doorsteps of the houses. There is a story in every other house of a kid falling into the open drain.
“We paid money out of our own pockets to lay a concrete slab across the drain so that we can cross over without falling into it. We are always worried about our kids that they might fall into the drain. Not every house has laid such a slab as some cannot afford it. Some people even use wooden planks,” said a local resident.
Another resident added, “My grandchild fell into the open drain running in front of our house. She was fortunately rescued but after that she had diarrhoea and severe fever.”
When contacted, Allapur Corporator Sabeeha Begum said, “Work to cover the open drains will start soon. `10 crore of funds has been sanctioned for the works which will soon begin.”
Unlike many GHMC wards where women are the elected corporators but it is their husbands who are known among the residents as corporator, in Allapur, Begum is known to everyone and is praised for undertaking a few works like construction of a new community hall recently.
example is the road from New Allapur to 100ft road, near Madhapur.
Water scarcity a major issue
With drinking water supply limited to just a few minutes once in three days, residents say that sometimes it happens that drinking water is not received even once a week. One such area facing water scarcity is Parvath Nagar. “It has been three days since we got water and it is just enough to fill two buckets. We get water tankers twice a month by paying `600,” said a resident.
“In 238 houses located in Central Allapur, water is scarce and there is a serious lack of a proper drainage line. There is also a serious mosquitoes menace in the area due to open drains”, said Md Akheel, presidential nominee for Allapur welfare association.However, Begum said that drinking water availability is much better now and that the problem will get solved in two months by the construction of a new tank for the ward.