BENGALURU: Since Diwali, some parts of Richard’s Town have been facing a water crisis. These areas - Pottery Road, Cookson Road and parts of Hall Road, have been facing a water problem for the last two months. While residents are struggling to deal with a crisis they have not experienced in decades, corporator dismisses it as a ‘minor’ hassle and officials deny that there is a shortage at all.
KK Uppal, president of the Richard’s Town Residents Welfare Association, says that in the last forty years, there has never been a water problem such as this in the area. “In the last two months, water came for about five-six days. Tankers had to be brought in once a week. We’ve filed several complaints – online and in person – to the corporator, the MLA, to the executive engineer and assistant engineer at BWSSB, and they keep saying that they’re looking into it. We’re paying the bills, so we have no idea where the water is going,” he says.
He adds that around thirty years back, water would come 24/7, even if the BWSSB shut down, it never affected them. “Today, even getting a trickle of water is hard.”When City Express contacted the ward’s corporator and the BBMP officials, they first denied that there is any water shortage at all. Then, corporator Elumalai conceded that there is ‘a minor problem’ with the water supply because of “low pressure”, adding that he would go and see how to rectify it.
Shashidhar, the former president of the RWA, says that this is the first time they’ve had zero water coming from the pipe. “We went to the chairman of the BWSSB, who ordered the executive engineer, Suresh, to look into the matter,” says Shashidhar. “They said there was a problem with the valve, which was then changed and a little water started coming for about two-three times a week.”
He adds that despite repeatedly approaching executive engineer Suresh, the problem persists, because, according to him, the officials are not equipped to tackle the matter at hand.Suresh says that he hasn’t received any complaints from residents, and that there is no problem with water in Richard’s Town.
Reacting to this, Shashidhar, says that they have themselves complained to Suresh several times in person. Shashidhar adds that the officials and residents have to work together to get around the problem.
When City Express tried contacting BWSSB assistant engineer Kumaraswamy, his number wasn’t reachable.