Only 40 toilets for 500 homes here

Residents of this colony are forced to defecate on railway tracks, open ground or among bushes, because there are only 40 toilets for 500 houses here!

This is the pitiful state of the residents of the locality on the HMT Watch Factory-Jalahalli Road. What may seem like sheer incivility of the people is a situation they have been pushed into.

Rajesh, a resident, said: “Most of us earn a living by working as construction labourers and hardly earn money for two meals a day. With great difficulty, we have been able to build these concrete houses, but, due to the lack of drainage facilities, no toilets were built.”

Thus, the practice of open defecation has continued for years now, he added. Open defecation is one of the main causes of contamination of drinking water and consequent health problems and diseases like malaria and typhoid.

The BBMP initially did heed  their demands and constructed a public toilet here nearly five years ago. However, this has not been used because there is no water supply. Also, the keys to the toilets were not given to residents.

Sudhamma, another resident told Deccan Herald, “I wake my five daughters up early every morning so that they can go and relieve themselves before the sunrise.”

Repeated complaints by the residents to the authorities concerned resulted in digging of the area for constructing tertiary drains but, even after a long time, the work is still pending.

Shankar, one of the few literate residents in the locality said, “The workers promptly arrive at 9 every morning, but, as soon as the supervisor leaves, all of them go missing. It doesn’t matter to us now; we have realised that our voices will never be heard.”

Poor sanitation conditions is just a single phase to their distress. Stench resulting from defecation, garbage from surrounding areas dumped near their homes and rodents roaming around aggravate the mess.