We the residents of 4th a main, shamanna gowda wish to bring to your notice the hardships faced by us during the rains on 4th september 2017, 15th august 2017 and the one prior to that on 8th march 2017. On 15th august 2017, we could not go out of our houses as the ground floor of all houses was submerged in drain water, upto one and a half feet in some cases. Vehicles and household appliances were completely submerged and damaged beyond repair. Bangalore mirror in their edition dated 19th august 2017 has published the damages caused due to rains and the same is ecnlosed for your reference.
Even after rains stopped there was no respite for us as we could not walk out of our houses as the entire area was covered by layers of silt and filth that came gushing out of the storm water drain. This was compounded by the unbearable stench of the swd that the silt has brought along with it. When it became absolutely necessary for us to go out of our houses, we had to hop from one house to the other, as it was impossible to step out onto the street. We had to continue with this exercise for the next 4 days and it was quite difficult for parents who had to walk with their little ones in their arms. Children and elderly people who fell ill during the rain had to be given home remedies as it was not possible to take them to the clinic. Many people could not go to work or school even the day after as the roads were not cleaned.
When it rained on 8th march 2017, our corporator wsas present and he was witness to the inconvenience caused to the residents and the financial losses incurred. Last time around each house incurred losses of about rs.30, 000/- and the situation was no different this time. The rainwater has damaged furniture, household appliances and vehicles in almost every house in the layout. Many houses still had a stench from the dirty water for days after the water-logging, leading to fears of disease. This time there was no support from authorities in cleaning up the silt and we had to do the same ourselves. Adding insult to injury is the fact that there has been no garbage collection in our locality since last 3 weeks. We live in constant fear of a recurrence of the water logging anytime it rains heavily. There is a significant health hazard due to the accumulation of garbage, silt and breeding of mosquitoes during and after the rains. With hardly any corrective action post 15th august 2017, more damage was inflicted during rains on 4th september 2017.
Please note apart from this hardships, for the residents of shamanna gowda layout it is usual practice to clean the sump and water tank several times during this period. Now the north east monsoon is ahead and if this work is not completed within two months, again we have to face the same problem.
On 20th august 2017 at around 830 am, mr. Harris and his team had come to shamanna gowda layout for inspections and we briefed him of our concerns and desired corrective and preventive action.
We the residents, appeal to you to take corrective action by restructuring the road and expediting the construction of the retaining wall and bridge of the swd immediately so that drain water and silt does not get accumulated in the layout after rains. Work on the retaining wall of the swd has been very slow and needs monitoring by the concerned authorities so as to complete it at the very earliest. Further, in the event of any water logging, immediate action in terms of garbage collection and cleaning of the street would be highly appreciated.
Thanking you,
Residents of 4th a main, shamanna gowda layout.