Sewage in stormwater drains of HSR Layout. Who is to blame?

There’s sewage in storm water drains of HSR Layout. Who is to blame? The BWSSB, the BBMP or the residents letting sewage into the drains that are supposed to only carry rainwater into the drains? The fact is that everyone is to be blamed for this. In addition, the desilting is done in a haphazard non-systematic manner. The debris cleared is left to dry. When there is another spell of rain, the debris is back into the drains, nullifying the previous effort to desilt the drains. When will the BBMP get its act together? Here is a video of one such drain in HSR Layout to give you an idea.

“We have been emphasizing this point on several occasions to the civic authorities but to no avail,” says resident RS Hiremath. “There is a large scale racket by the authorities who are allowing huge PGs and apartment blocks to simply let their sewage into storm water drains! The result is more mosquitoes, vector spread diseases, ground water contamination and stink, all at the cost of honest tax payers.”

The BBMP officials blame the BWSSB for not conducting due diligence of all the new properties that have come up in HSR Layout. “When people dig borewells, they don’t take Cauvery connection. In such cases, they illegally let the sewage into the stormwater drains,” said one BBMP official. “Usually, when anyone takes a water connection, they have to take sanitary connection also from the BWSSB.” However, the BWSSB is failing to keep a check on who has taken a sanitary connection and who has not. Since they have a readymade list, it’s easy to detect who is letting the sewage into the drains. Sources tell us that the BWSSB is to be blamed for the mess. It is the job of the inspectors to go through the lists, penalise the residents and ensure compliance.

There are stiff fines from both the BBMP and BWSSB on people who are letting sewage into the drains. If you know someone who is doing this, you can report to the BWSSB or the BBMP with a video or photographic proof.

For all the important numbers of civic agencies in HSR Layout, click here for the Ultimate Guide to HSR Layout.