Friday, Dec 17, 2004
Friday, Dec 17, 2004 |
| Andhra Pradesh | ||||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh |
Karnataka |
Kerala |
New Delhi |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Engagements |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Andhra Pradesh
-
Hyderabad
By J.S. Ifthekhar
Women collecting sewage water in buckets from pits in Jagdish basti. Photo: Mohd. Yousuf
HYDERABAD, DEC. 16. Necessity is the mother of invention. Driven to the wall, one would come up with strange ways of coping up with the situation. Residents of Jagdish basti in Shahgunj area of old city are forced to do just that. In the absence of a regular drainage system, they have hit upon a novel way of disposing off their waste. They have dug up small pits in front of their homes to collect domestic sewage. If you think this is odd, hold on, for they have another way of disposing it. After nightfall women collect the dirty water in buckets, carry it to a manhole across the road and empty it. There are 15 hutments in this basti and one can find as many pits, some covered some open. Residents are putting up with this misery for the last three decades, silently.
Ignored over the years
The surprising part is that this basti is situated right amidst the bustling environs of Charminar. Over the years scores of developmental works have been taken up in and around the monument, but obviously they have all bypassed Jagdish basti. The Majlis party, in whose stronghold this basti lies, has also not paid heed. It has finally taken COVA, a voluntary organisation, to come to the rescue of this basti. Noorjahan, coordinator and Syed Salahuddin Hashmi, field officer, COVA, are educating the residents about the hazards of living in such unsanitary conditions and organising them to fight for their rights. But thanks to official apathy, things are just not moving ahead. A look at the Jagdish basti will show that it is a veritable breeding ground for diseases given the abominable conditions prevailing here. "Recently a small boy fell in one of the pits and had to be hospitalised," says Laiqa Begum.
Health hazards
The pits pose a serious health hazard and its no wonder that adults and children constantly fall ill here. Their living space being very small, the inmates are forced to do the cooking and washing right near the sewage pits.
Printer friendly
page
News:
Front Page |
National |
Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh |
Karnataka |
Kerala |
New Delhi |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Engagements |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | The Hindu eBooks | Home |
Copyright © 2004, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|
