The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : BPP comes to the rescue of slum dwellers

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

BPP comes to the rescue of slum dwellers

Swathi. V

— Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

Novel initiative: Ambedkar Nagar slum near Nallagutta has a new toilet complex, thanks to the initiative of Buddha Purnima Project officials.

HYDERABAD: G. Narsamma has seen it all in her 70-odd years. From squatting along the shoreline of Hussainsagar lake opposite to which they live, she and her fellow women were forced go in search of new defecation sites as the area got busier.

Toilets constructed by the GHMC about 20 years ago remained defunct and stinking due to lack of water.

A storm water channel flowing alongside their slum was the only place where they could attend to nature’s call.

Thanks to the shore development works taken up by Buddha Purnima Project (BPP) of HMDA as part of Hussainsagar lake and Catchment Area Improvement project, the slum dwellers now have toilets to relieve themselves, even while allowing the lakebed remain pristine. The BPP, in fulfilment of the Social Development component of the project, got the colony’s toilet complex renovated, and provided running water facility.

Also constructed was a cattle-wash for the Yadava community that is in dominant numbers.

“Earlier, the entire shoreline from the Buddha Bhavan till the Sanjeevaiah Park would be dotted with human faeces. At least 200 people from Ambedkar Nagar and Vengalrao Nagar slums would use it for defecation. Cattle were another major problem as about 60 to 70 buffaloes would be left on the lake shores to be fed and bathed,” said an official of the Buddha Purnima Project.

Attempts to protect the area by fencing it off with wire mesh failed, as the mesh would be invariably broken. Any objection from the security guard would be met with threats and physical abuse by the bellicose residents.

“Community involvement seemed the only solution. After all, their invasion of lake’s territory stemmed from deprivation. We decided to lend a helping hand,” said the official.

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Andhra Pradesh