For six months, 2,000 people had no drinking water

In Katta Maisamma Basti, residents depend on private tankers as roads leading to it were dug up damaging drinking water pipes.

Water accumulated in front of the houses of slum dwellers as roads were dug up which damaged the drinking water and sewerage lines;

HYDERABAD: For the last six months, close to 2,000 residents of Katta Maisamma Basti in ward number 2 of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board(SCB) are devoid of drinking water supply in their houses. Roads leading to the basti were dug up by the contractor, damaging drinking water and sewerage lines, in order to take up road works. Adding to this, the drinking water supply that was available at the public taps too have stopped in the last two months.

They have been depending on private water tankers since then. The foundation for road construction was laid by MLA G Sayanna and other officials of SCB last year. The digging works for laying new roads started six months ago and since then no progress has been made. At the same time, old pipelines for water supply to households were disconnected and sewerage pipelines were damaged.

Water accumulated in front of the houses of slum dwellers
as roads were dug up which damaged the drinking water
and sewerage lines;

Katta Maisamma basti is one of the largest slums in the city. The Residents allege that both Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) and Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board(HMWSSB) have turned a blind eye towards their problems. The basti residents are, as of now, depending on private water tankers where as sewerage water overflows on the ground. 

Speaking to Express, M Anjali, a resident here, said “Since sewerage water flows in the open, people have stopped coming out of their homes and there is no place for children to play.”Moreover, the streets have turned into a breeding ground for mosquitoes. “We have given several complaints to SCB officials and ward member. But there is no response,” she said. 

Md.Salma, another resident, said “We store water for a week. It starts smelling. With start of summer now, we don’t have any alternative solution for drinking water.” Speaking to Express, S. Keshava Reddy, elected member from Ward-2 in SCB, put the blame straight on the road contractor. “The road construction does not come under SCB’s purview. The funds are released from MLA funds,” he said, claiming that residents of the basti are being provided with water drawn from a borewell.

M Rajkumar, superintendent, Water and Streetlights department in the SCB, said that we will speed up the works in Katta Maisamma Basti. “The road construction is underway with the State government funds. The board already sanctioned Rs 8 lakh to lay main pipeline for drinking water and another underground pipeline for sewerage water, he said.