Bengaluru: Old sewer pipes choke Indiranagar

Bengaluru: Imagine waking up to use the bathroom and pressing the flush only to find sewage water gushing out? For those residing in the various crosses located on 10th A main of Indiranagar 2nd stage, this is a grim reality for the last 5 years.

“These are 50-60 year old sewage pipes, built for the few houses that existed then. With the influx of IT crowd and increase in three-storey buildings, it gets blocked every other month, and sewer water flows out into individual houses,” said Shantakumar, a resident for the past 42 years. He blamed BWSSB for not carrying out regular inspection and desilting

Another resident S.G Bhatt said, “There are plastic, sanitary pads that block the main pipe, and the smelly sewer overflows my chamber, toilet and kitchen! We are aged people and little kids can catch fever, dengue, malaria, etc. We also come across worms.”

The residents have filed repeated complaints with the local corporator last year and got him to start replacing some of the ancient pipes. However the occupants said, this was done haphazardly as roads were not asphalted properly after laying pipes.

“For connecting our pipes to the newly-laid main pipe, labourers asked for Rs 4,000. Whoever pays first, gets the job done. Someone paid Rs 18,000 because their house was farther from the main pipe.  Even for cleaning by BWSSB, we had to pay Rs 4,000 and Rs 1,800 was paid to redo the road!” said Ramesh, another resident.

There are many lanes where the new sewer pipes have still not been laid and those unfortunate residents continue to suffer. When the corporator was approached, he said the work would only be done if a petition was signed by all. Even after doing so, the work never began.

“The corporator told us that he could not begin work because some government officials will not allow him to spend so much of money on repair work,” said Shantakumar.

When Corporator Anand Kumar was contacted he said, “The proposal for road work has been sent to BBMP. We are still waiting for a confirmation from the Works Committee chairman. We can only pay for the replacement of the main line, but the people will have to spend to connect this to their homes. I asked for a petition only because residents may have difference of opinion.”

“There are no government officials preventing me from starting the remaining work. I am doing it priority wise and collecting funds as after laying pipes, immediate road repair has to begin,” he added.