Houses flooded as clogged big drain overflows in Subashnagar

Mysuru: Yesterday morning rain flooded over 10 houses as the big drain on the 3rd Cross in Subashnagar got clogged resulting in drain water overflowing and entering the houses causing miseries to the residents.

The rain, which began at about 5 am, poured continuously for over three hours causing heavy flow of rain water in the big drain.

As works to cover the drain passing adjacent to an educational institution was taken up at a cost of Rs. 5 crore, the workers had installed scaffoldings inside the drain to cover the drain with concrete.

Following continuous rain, large quantity of rain water began to flow inside the big drain carrying along huge quantity of garbage including plastic wastes and coconut fronds with it. But due to scaffoldings inside the big drain, the garbage got stuck clogging the drain.

This resulted in rain water mixed with sewage overflowing from the big drain, flooding the street and entering the houses all of a sudden.

The drain water also entered water sumps making the stored water contaminated.

Meanwhile, the MCC’s Abhaya team and labourers hired by the Contractor, who reached the spot, began the cleaning operation and removed over five truck loads of garbage from the clogged big drain. Two earth excavation machines were also brought to the spot and more than two tractor loads of garbage which was struck between the scaffoldings inside the drain was also removed thus making way for smooth flow of rain water inside the big drain.

Though the residents got some relief following clearing of garbage from the big drain, they were put into a lot of hardships as they had to personally remove the filth collected in front of their houses and also siphon the stored water inside the sump, get it cleaned by paying money to private persons and wait for the next day to store water in it.

The residents, holding the Contractor responsible for their miseries caused by the overflowing big drain demanded relief besides expressing their anger on former Corporator Arif Hussain and MCC staff.

Finally, the clogged big drain was cleared in a day-long operation and this morning, the MCC staff was clearing the silt accumulated on the road.

Meanwhile, Bhanu Prashanth, Convenor of Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP), speaking to SOM said that there was a conspiracy to close the big drain itself. As the residents staged protests against it, the plan was shelved and concrete bridges to cross the big drain were constructed unscientifically here and there across the big drain, he added.

Though the concrete roofing was laid a couple of days back, the scaffoldings installed in the big drain for support were not removed resulting in garbage getting stuck to it thus clogging the big drain and rain water mixed with sewage overflowing from it causing a lot of miseries to the residents,                                                Bhanu Prashanth said.

The rains also caused a lot of problems in Kyathamaranahalli, Udayagiri, Sathagalli, J.P. Nagar, Navodaya Layout in Nachanahalli Palya, Bannimantap and other areas as sewage water from manholes overflowed on the roads and entered houses.