BBMP not doing enough: Kodichikkanahalli residents

Bengaluru: Flood waters have receded at Kodichikkanahalli, which faced the full wrath of rain fury on Friday, but the residents are scared that stagnant pools of water in the area could trigger an outbreak of epidemics.

It was a busy weekend for the residents as they spent most of the time sanitising their houses, surroundings and drying their beds, quilts and blankets that were soaked for over 16 hours after the rain pounded the city and Kodichikkanahalli lake breached the bund.

Mr S. Sethumadhava, a resident of Anugraha Layout – which was the worst hit, alleged that the BBMP has not taken adequate measures to prevent epidemics.

“On Saturday, only a few worker sprayed DDT and bleaching power in the area. But considering the devastation, the BBMP’s efforts seem cosmetic,” he said.

“The officials have not cleared water in the open drains and they will become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The entire area has an unbearable stench.

The BBMP has organised health camps and has started desilting the drains, but the scale at which it is being done is not adequate,” he said.

He also suggested that the BBMP and the state government should take measures to divert the storm water into the lake by strengthening the lake bund.

“What is the guarantee that our area will not be flooded again? The authorities should find a permanent solution instead of resorting to ad hoc measures,” he said.

Water pumps of most of the houses are not working. Washing machines and refrigerators too are spoiled. On an average, each resident in Anugraha Layout has suffered losses ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh. Who will compensate the losses, asked the area residents.

“There was mud and dirty water inside our shop. We cleaned and mopped the floor. The place smelt like a drain,” said Mahesh and his wife, who run a tailoring shop, next to the main road.