Councillors upset over lack of preparation to handle monsoon woes in Hubballi-Dharwad
The Hindu
Flooding on busy roads and in various localities in the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad during the recent spell of rain rocked the monthly council meeting of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation in Dharwad on Friday as upset councillors cutting across party lines made no attempt to hide their displeasure.
Flooding on busy roads and in various localities in the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad during the recent spell of rain rocked the monthly council meeting of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation in Dharwad on Friday as upset councillors cutting across party lines made no attempt to hide their displeasure.
Starting from the former Mayor and senior councillor of BJP Veeranna Savadi, who raised the issue during the council meeting, several council members from different parties vented their ire against the municipal officials for their failure to tackle the recurring problem.
Mr. Savadi said that half of Hubballi was water-logged due to the recent rainfall and rainwater mixed with sewage entered several low-lying areas giving sleepless nights to the citizens.
The failure to remove silt from the storm-water drains and clean the drains well in advance were the root cause of the problem, he said.
Councillor from Dharwad Vijayanand Shetty, referring to the recent flooding in Bhavikatti Plot, said that the area was water-logged for almost three days. He said that the residents were forced to spend sleepless nights as along with rainwater and sewage, snakes, scorpions and other creatures entered their houses.
Hubballi councillor Shivu Menasinakai raised the recurring problem of flooding at Tulajabhavani Circle in Hubballi and said that residents had a difficult time removing silt that had entered their houses during the flooding.
Joining them, several other councillors expressed their displeasure over the lack of preparedness by the municipal authorities ahead of the monsoon. They pointed that despite having prior knowledge of the recurring issues, the municipal corporation is yet to set up emergency teams to address the contingencies.
While residents are worried over deaths due to diarrhoea in Vijayawada, officials still grapple to find the root cause. Contaminated drinking water supplied by VMC officials is the reason, insist people in the affected areas, but officials insist that efforts are on to identify the disease and that those with symptoms other than diarrhoea too are visiting the health camps.