The Hindu : Heavy rain inundates low-lying areas in Mysore

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 03, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Heavy rain inundates low-lying areas in Mysore

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE April 2 . Heavy rain lashed Mysore early today flooding low-lying areas in parts of the city. If the rain, which started around 2.30 a.m. and continued till dawn, brought relief to residents of well-planned layouts, those in Indira Colony, Kailashpuram, and Satyanagar and adjoining areas, woke up to find themselves virtually inundated.

Rainwater entered their houses and they had to wade through knee-deep water to come out. The authorities attributed this to the absence of sound storm-water drains in these localities. The residents had no alternative but to wait for the corporation authorities to come to their rescue and drain out rainwater.

Tanvir Sait, Narasimharaja MLA, under whose constituency these areas come, told The Hindu that the corporation authorities had pressed into service equipment for pumping rainwater in the affected areas. He said work on linking the storm-water drains would begin soon.

Meanwhile, the heavy rain led to choking of storm-water drains in some areas and inundating roads. Ashoka Road was inundated due to blocking of a drain in the area. Though the rain gave a temporary relief to the people from the sweltering heat, mercury levels started soaring again by noon. Rainfall on Ugadi is considered by many to be a good augury. They hoped that the drought-hit region would receive good rainfall this year.

If the residents of Indira Colony, Kailashpuram, and Satyanagar had to face problems due to the absence of stormwater drains, those in Saraswathipuram have been facing a different problem for the past four days.

It is learnt that sewage is getting mixed in drinking water at 6th Main, Saraswathipuram.

The Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) Convener, H.R. Bapu Satyanarayana, said the situation had become serious with many residents complaining of vomiting and diarrhoea.

Acknowledging the efforts of the authorities to solve the problem, he said sewerage and water supply lines ran parallel in most cases. "In these days when water supply lines run dry due to water shortage, a suction effect takes place on account of vacuum. There is every possibility of sewage getting mixed with drinking water if there is a defective joint. This is also possible when sewage gets blocked and overflows, flooding the surface," he added. He requested the people to inform the authorities whenever they noticed leakage of water and sewage.

Meanwhile, the MGP has said that water from borewells in many areas is contaminated.

Pointing out that water in many borewells in the city were found to be contaminated a couple of years ago and supply from them was stopped, the MGP President, B.V. Shenoy, said supply of water from several contaminated borewells had resumed on account of scarcity.

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