Quality of work watered down

Take for instance Pillanna Gardens and its surroundings. The locality has perennially suffered from severe water shortage and blocked sewerage. The problem is worse during rains.

P B Ramamurthy, BWSSB Chairman, visited the area on April 14, on invitation from the residents. He had then announced plans to overcome the problem. But three months later, the people there still have no respite.

Once in 15 days

Kumar, a resident, said: “What improvements? I pay a monthly bill of Rs 350 to BWSSB, but get water only once in 15 days.”

Uday Shankar, an RTI activist and a resident of Munimarappa block, seeks answers from BWSSB on what exactly they are up to.

“Sewage pipelines of substandard quality were laid in this locality six to seven years ago. No wonder, it is already time to change them,” he said.

Jayapal, another resident, has had to deal with sewage overflowing into his house during rains. “Sewage spares no one. Not even the Shakti Mariamman temple and Al-Basit mosque in the area,” he says, ruefully.  

According to RTI replies accessed by Deccan Herald, the BWSSB had proposed to lay a 320-metre water pipeline in Munimarappa block, DJ Halli and ward no 95, besides undertaking underground drainage (UGD) works.

“It has been nearly four months since Ramamurthy’s visit, but the project is yet to take off,” says Dharma Gowda, a social worker. The new pipes for UGD, which have been stocked in the area, seem to be of a questionable quality.

Brittle pipes

“Some of us went to inspect the pipes and were appalled to find that they were very brittle. Even though they are ISI-certified, they crumbled when we applied the slightest pressure,” said Gowda.

Gopal Gowda, BWSSB Assistant Executive Engineer, said: “The pipes are overburnt and therefore brittle”.

A pipe with a nine-inch diameter and a genuine ISI mark costs Rs 225, claims Uday Shankar. “However, the pipes in question are worth approximately Rs 80 each. I checked the details in the shops concerned and have already contacted the ISI office on Tumkur Road.”

Illegal connections from the main pipeline and unauthorised water valves are another problem. This, combined with the sloppiness of BWSSB personnel, has created intense water shortage in many areas, helping the water mafia to flourish.

However, in areas between Miller’s Road and Machalibetta, it is a different scenario. As much as 34.45 million litres of water flows through this line everyday. A water pipeline project to overcome the problems of lack of pressure and leakages has been undertaken in the area by BWSSB, according to Executive Engineer (East), D Murli.

Congestion

“There is a lot of congestion on Vasanthnagar Road, as it is blocked due to the pipeline work and all traffic spills over to Miller’s Road,” says Ramesh, a motorist. The Jasma Devi Bhavan Road also looks like a war zone with the levelling work still to be completed.

“I am working here for the last three years and have seen the work going on for one year now. Whenever it rains, the water enters the compound and affects vehicle parking,” said Devaraj, a security guard posted at the Karnataka Billiards Association situated on the road.  

Vikram Simha, a resident of Srirama Mandiram Road in Basavanagudi, talks about the blockage in the drains. B K Guruprasad, who resides in the same area, had filed an RTI application seeking information on how old the UGD lines were. BWSSB responded by furnishing details of the estimated work instead of the completed work.

“The only solution to all the mess is to replace the existing pipes of six-inch diameter with those having a diameter of nine inches. It is really sad that the BWSSB is yet to take up upgrading work in some places,” says Simha.

On Old Madras Road, a water supply line is being laid for BMRCL in Byappanahalli.
Sachin, who runs a ceramic and flower shop in the area, said: “The work has definitely affected my business. I hope the dug-up area is covered properly.”

A portion of the pipeline runs right outside the Byappanahalli police station. “It is dangerous to take a turn into our compound from the main road with all the mud lying around,” says Station Officer Kishore Baharani.

He has already appealed to the project engineer to finish the work in front of the station as soon as possible. The BWSSB Assistant Engineer, Ramesh, however, blames the police for the delay. “The ongoing work was halted for four to five days by them,” he said.

Further down the road is a KPTCL office, where a drainage work has been taken up by BMRCL. Kavitha R, KPTCL Assistant Engineer (Maintenance), said: “There are around 18 cables in the area, so the work has to be undertaken very carefully. It’s going on at a slow pace,” she said. 

Binny Mills is another place where the Board is upgrading sanitary lines. Here too, the work has led to traffic problems.