Madrasi Colony residents have been living amid unhygienic and slushy surroundings

Residents of Madrasi Colony, Bapu Dham, have been living amid unhygienic conditions and foul smell for a long time now. The sewer lines in the area are choked most of the time, leading to the overflow of the sewer waste.

Children in the area, residents say, frequently fall sick as the locality is a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Mahinder Kaur, who lives in the colony, says, “Sometimes it is difficult to get out of the house. There is a sewer right in front of my house. When condition becomes unbearable, we take the initiative and clean the area. But there is no escaping from slushy conditions and foul smell.”

Another resident, Muthuswamy, often goes out to a nearby lane to have food as the stench inside his house is unbearable.

Locals say when they complain, Municipal Corporation workers do come to clean the sewer. But within four to five days the conditions are same as before.

The problem, they add, is compounded with the presence of a slum near the area. “Residents here have been living amid unhygienic conditions. Most of the children suffer from health problems. Parents cannot even send them out to play. The situation can lead to an epidemic,” Solomon, who volunteers in a church, says.

Area councillor Sarita Devi says a proposal to increase the thickness of the sewer line is in the pipeline. “The Municipal Corporation is looking into the proposal. We get the area cleaned frequently, but the residents in the slum throw garbage and polythene, which chokes the sewer line. Once the thickness of the sewer lines is increased, the problem would be solved,” she says.

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