HYDERABAD: Residents of Shivanand Nagar in Nallakunta, the largest ward in Amberpet assembly constituency, are being forced to consume drinking water mixed with sewerage being supplied to them by Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) pipeline since ten days.
An elderly woman from the area who did no want to be named with tears in her eyes, said, “My kids are travelling three kilometres everyday till YMCA in Narayanguda to bring drinking water from there. We cannot consume the water we get as it is black and smells filthy. The corporator and MLA of our area know about the issue but do not care.”
Another resident says, “In my house, we are boiling the same water and drinking. It smells bad but we cannot afford to buy mineral water and do not own a vehicle to bring water from a far off place.”
This issue of sewerage water mixed with drinking water happens atleast once in 1-2 months in many other parts of Nallakunta, which is home to 14 slums.
No cleaning of silt in nala, retaining wall not built
A huge drainage nala passes through Nallakunta, adjacent to which many houses are located since decades. Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation is not cleaning silt and garbage time to time from nala as expected of it.
A resident of Ratna Nagar located right beside the nala says, “We have been asking since many years to construct a retaining wall so that during rains when water levels increase, it will not get into our houses. Nala flowing so close to houses is dangerous as the walls of our houses might collapse. Sanitation workers dump garbage they collect in cycle rickshaws directly into nala many times. Some miscreants rear pigs in the nala which might result in spread of diseases but the GHMC does not take any action.”
Will clean nala and build retaining wall: Corporator
Gariganti Sridevi, has been elected for second time as corporator of Nallakunta ward said, “Last time I had put forward a proposal for contruction of retaining wall along the nala which was even accepted. However, it did not progress further after President’s rule was imposed during Telangana agitation.
This time I have put forward the proposal again, not just for retaining wall but also for cleaning and widening of nala from Shivam to Golnaka which will prevent water logging at the 6 Number junction.”
Lack of public toilets
Nallakunta is home to many IIT coaching centres, junior colleges and has many shops. However, there is no public toilet in the entire stretch from Vidyanagar railway station till Fever hospital. B Manjusha, a resident of Nallakunta says, “Many times the shopkeepers and even students urinate on walls in streets located in residential areas. We had raised this issue during GHMC elections but nothing has been done about it.”