Overflowing manholes: BWSSB issues 600 notices, but residents blame it on apathy

BENGALURU: Several areas of Bengaluru, including many roads in Central Business District (CBD), are dotted with overflowing manholes. Negotiating them, especially on foot, is nearly impossible. While residents have been complaining about the issue at different fora, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) says citizens themselves are to blame.
In the past four months, BWSSB has served more than 600 notices to residents in connection with overflowing manholes. Some officials say the number is around 700. But residents have a different story to share.
“Every time it rains, the manholes near 80 Ft Road in Koramangala start to overflow. Despite this, BWSSB officials rarely come for an inspection. Instead, after being prodded by the local corporator, BBMP engineers visit and try to unblock the manhole,” said GM Shetty, president, Koramangala 4th Block residents welfare association.
Similar views have been expressed by many RWAs and other residents or commercial building owners. While some blame civic agencies’ apathy, a few others claim that poor planning and maintenance lead to such a situation. Incidentally, not even TenderSURE roads, relaid at a cost of Rs 12 crore per km, have been spared of the manhole menace.
BWSSB engineer-in-chief Kemparamaiah said: “Most of the 600-700 notices have been issued to people staying/working in KR Market, Majestic, Koramangala and Malleswaram. One major problem is that they connect their rainwater pipes to our sewerage system, which causes manholes to overflow.”
The water board maintains 2.2 lakh manholes spread across 596 sqkm; its coverage doesn’t include the 110 villages annexed. On an average, 100-180 of them have been overflowing every day in the past four months.
“If you look at the average during summer months, it’s in the range of 30 to 40. We regularly maintain manholes and some of them may overflow because they are too old, or need repair, which can be managed. But what’s really troubling us is the mixing of rainwater into our network, which results in too many manholes overflowing. That’s why we are taking action,” Kemparamaiah said.
Vasudev Ballaney, a resident of AECS Layout in Marathahalli, feels the agencies concerned are not doing the needful. “There’s a manhole near my house which has been overflowing for almost a week now. There seems to be some blockage, due to which water is spilling out and has covered half the road. The stench is unbearable,” he said.
Rainwater, waste pose challenge
If it was just our manholes leaking, the liquid would be thick and more potent. You can inspect these leakages and you will invariably find rainwater mixed with sewage. We regularly maintain manholes, but when people connect rainwater pipes to our system or dump other waste, it poses a great challenge. This is happening in many areas
Tushar Girinath, BWSSB chairperson
Contamination can cause infections
While overflowing manholes sully the surroundings, if the sewage gets mixed with drinking water, it can lead to a series of health issues. “Drinking water contaminated with leaking pipelines can cause E Coli infections, typhoid, Hepatitis A, and all three can lead to diarrhoea. People who come in contact with drain water are at a risk of leptospirosis. Children who get repeated diarrhoeal infections can become malnourished and more vulnerable to other infections too,” said Dr Sylvia Karpagam, public health expert. Besides, the harmful gases accumulated in manholes have proven to be fatal for many manual scavengers.
Story in numbers
* 596 sqkm: Area under BWSSB
* 2.2 lakh: Total no. of manholes in city maintained by BWSSB
* 30-40: Average no. of manholes overflowing on a summer day
* 100-180: Average no. of manholes overflowing on a monsoon day
* 600-700: No. of notices issued to residents
Source: BWSSB