Hyderabad

Open drain poses hardships for Amberpet folks

Ridhima Gupta

HYDERABAD:  A stormwater drain in Amberpet, flowing along the boundaries of several residential blocks, has made life miserable for the locals. With the drain left open for more than 18 months now and leaps of garbage dumped around it, the area has turned entirely fetid. Regular road accidents and waterlogged streets aside, residents worry about the water from the drain seeping into the pipelines and mixing with their drinking water, posing a threat of an outbreak of diseases. 

Mohammed Basith, an Amberpet resident, said that a mother and her child had met with an accident in the area just last week, when the child had fallen into the drain. “As people were quick to help, nothing much happened. But such an incident during the night would have definitely spelled tragedy as the road doesn’t even have a working streetlight,” he added. 

With no other option left, many residing in the area have chosen to either elevate their houses or construct a knee-length wall outside their house to stop the drain water from entering their houses. Divya Rani, a tailor by profession, claimed that even a light shower would leave their roads waterlogged for days. “My business suffers a lot because of this.

There are days when the waterlogging forces us to shut our shops. The water, however, still seeps in and spoils the garments,” lamented Rani. The complaints of children falling sick due to unhygienic water are also abound. The residents claimed that the GHMC failed to take any action on the issue, despite several complaints. 

Meanwhile, the GHMC officials reasoned that the works have been stalled because the salaries of the workers and the payment for the contractor are both still pending. “There are innumerable problems, but salary is the primary issue. But we are looking into the matter and will get the work done soon,” said the official. 

Assistant Executive Engineer MS Santosh claimed that the storm drain line and the sewer line have gotten mixed, which should be separated first. “This separation is going to take time. But we will restart the works in the next two days and will be completed by June 10.”

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