That’s Not Smart! MCC ignoring Open Drainage causing Diseases

That’s Not Smart! MCC ignoring Open Drainage causing Diseases

Mangaluru: While the City Officials are on the verge of making Mangaluru a “Smart City”, have turned a blind eye towards a few open drainage in the city which have been creating unbearable stink, more than that have giving scope for mosquito breeding leading to diseases like Malaria and Dengue. Among the open drainage near Bejai Road, Alake road, the “Mother of all Drainage” is the one flowing all the way from Attavar towards Pandeshwar and further more- I have no idea where it ends–probably into Arabian Sea or some other river.

The open drainage highlighted in this report is the one flowing at Attavar, on the Mescom Office stretch of road, and the residents living in the apartments and independent houses are not happy with the officials of Mangaluru City Corporation even after repeated requests and complaints made to the MCC office and their area corporator. One of the resident from the flat very adjacent to this open drainage had called our office and requested to make a report and highlight it in our website- and Team Mangalorean swung into action without wasting further time.

Sharath Shetty, a resident of Attavar, who lives just a couple of blocks from KMC-Attavar speaking to Team Mangalorean said, ” What are our officials talking about making our City a ‘Smart City’, when they can’t even fix a civic issue like this open-drainage which has been existing for years, and lately has been creating a safety hazard to the residents living around it. The odour from this drainage is unbearable with filth, sewage waste, human feces, etc etc flowing along with the dirty water, and we can see mosquitoes all along the drainage. It’s a hell out here living close to such a filthy open drainage”.

Yet another resident, Maurice from a nearby flat said, ” Although me and my family moved here into a close by apartment, but I heard from my neighbors that they have facing this problem since 20 years, and its getting bad lately, with more dirty water adding to this open drain coming from Mangalore Central Railway Station, Attavar KMC Hospital, and other building projects far and near to Attavar. You can see waste water from a workers toilet flowing into this open drain at a nearby construction site (see pic). I am worried about my two children who walk close by to this drainage of getting bit by mosquitoes and landing up in hospital with Malaria or Dengue. Does the City Officials ever care of the safety and health issues of their citizens”.

Yet another resident who wanted to remain anonymous due to some earlier conflict with MCC officials said, ” When the right day comes I will show how many toilets are linked to this drainage. Many residents of this area in the past have been afflicted with diseases like Malaria, Dengue and other Vector-borne diseases, right from adults to children.. It is scary out here-look at the pathetic condition of the drainage, the smell is terrible some days, and we all have to bear with such consequences every single day. When the residents had contacted the MCC authorities, they gave an excuse stating that to fix this civic issue would cost them crores of rupees. Now that crores of money is pumped into the city from Central government, its time that they utilize part of the money and rectify this problem with a systematic drainage. Our area corporator should take the initiative, but it doesn’t looks like “

In meantime a MCC official said that there are plans to dispose the sewage water by installing pipelines, and efforts have been done to check on illegal sewage connections to this drain. The only solution for this civic issue to cover the drain or install pipelines to dispose the water, other than that someone has to come out with a better idea. Seems like the drainage work is handled by the UGD (Under Ground Drainage) department and the only thing that the ward corporator can do is to assist the locals in his ward and assure them proper action in rectifying the issues. Until then the residents have to keep their fingers crossed to see any progress.