Rain aggravates health, sanitation woes in Bangalore

Wednesday’s rain left Bangalore with much more than a dull cover of cloud and a sharp chill in the air. Major commercial and residential areas in the City had a harrowing time with rainwater obstructing transport and creating serious problems of sanitation.

There was an eight-degree dip in temperature in the City, which received 6.1 mm of rainfall as a result of cyclone Nilam. There were heavy showers towards evening and night.

The rain brought down several trees at BEL market near Jalahalli, 12th main, Indiranagar and 17 ‘H’ cross, Koramangala 5th block. At Netajinagar in Pulakeshinagar, a tree came crashing down on a car, said BBMP sources.

Bangalore is already reeling under a host of health and sanitary concerns, including a garbage crisis, a dengue epidemic with already 900 positive cases in recent months and the outbreak of avian flu.

Nearly 3,500 tonnes of garbage is generated daily, out of which only 35 per cent is scientifically disposed of. Prabhakar, owner of a chicken stall at Russell Market in Shivajinagar, said, "Most of the stalls dump the leftover meat and carcasses at street corners. Rain has resulted in the waste spreading all over,” he adds.

Vidisha M D’Souza, a resident of Teachers Colony in Koramangala, said, “It has been almost three months since they started work on the gutters near my place. They have taken out the stinking mud from the gutters and put it on the road. The rainwater gets collected in these gutters and they get blocked as the work is still unfinished”.  

Commuting affected

“The stretch from Hebbal flyover to Boopasandra has a lot of potholes, making it hard for two-wheeler riders. Traffic jams have become a major problem, especially at Mekhri Circle,” says Aditya Menon, a student of Christ University residing at Hebbal.
The ongoing Namma Metro work has worsened the situation with rainwater flooding the potholes caused due to the work.

“There are several potholes and a repulsive stench from the garbage dumped in and around the Nayandahalli underpass,” said Nihaal Ramesh, a student of RVCE residing in Jayanagar.  

Diseases

“Garbage, along with rain, leads to the outbreak of vector-borne diseases. Eating unhygienic food and drinking contaminated water can lead to typhoid and gastroenteritis.  People with allergies, especially children, become more susceptible to respiratory infections in the cold and wet weather condition,” said Dr Paramesh, medical director, Lakeside Medical Centre and Hospital.

He said it was very important to maintain personal hygiene, including frequent washing of the hands and protecting oneself from dust and smoke. Doctors caution against storing water for a long time in open containers that can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes that cause diseases.

Yeshwantpur market has seen a rapid increase in the number of mosquitoes and rats, said a shopkeeper at the market.

Commerce hit

K R Market has not just mud, but also garbage and rotten vegetables strewn all over.
“Sometimes, we do not even come to sell our vegetables here, because of all the garbage lying around and the unbearable stink,” said a vegetable vendor at the market.

Dank weather for one more day

Cold and damp weather will prevail at least for another day in the districts adjoining Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu apart from some districts in South Karnataka.

According to the Meteorological department, temperatures have fallen by at least six to seven degrees in districts including Bangalore Urban and Rural, Mysore, Mandya, Chamarajanagar, Kolar, Tumkur and Chitradurga. The 50-year average temperature for Wednesday is 28 degree Celsius, but it was 19.9 degree Celsius, said B Puttanna, Director, Indian Meteorological Department, Bangalore.

He said cloudy weather and rainfall will prevail over South Karnataka districts. The coastal and North Karnataka districts will experience rainfall and cooler temperatures by Friday as the cyclonic system moves in the north-westernly direction.