Bellandur suffers from water shortage and poor drainage

By Saniya Rao

BENGALURU: Population explosion triggered by Bengaluru’s information technology revolution has taken its toll on water supply to Belandur in southeast Bengaluru.

Housed in the assembly constituency of Mahadevapura and falling bang in the middle of the IT corridor, the Bellandur ward includes areas such as Kaikondahalli, Bhoganahalli, Dodda Kannalli, Royal Classic Layout and Lake View Layout.

Modern housing facilities dominate Bellandur but the absence of basic amenities seems to make a mockery of all the development. Water shortage and poor drainage are the twin civic issues that trouble the residents. Zubin George, resident of an emerging locality in Sarjapur Road, told ET, “During summers, we face major troubles. We have to fill buckets in advance because we don’t know when water supply will stop.”

The Bellandur lake is one of the oldest and largest water bodies in the city. Unplanned urbanisation has converted this once-recreational spot into a sewage dump. A large part of the city’s untreated sewage flows into this water body. The area is developing fast and well-linked to Whitefield, Electronic City, Outer Ring Road, Koramangala and Marathahalli.

“I have been living here for 18 years now. Travelling to and from college during peak hours is definitely a major issue because of the traffic,” said Srushti Bhaskar, resident of Adarsh Palm Retreat in Devarabeesanahalli. Given the shortage of water, residents are at the mercy of tankers.

A few residents have also been victims of fraudulent deals. “Our layout has come up on seven acres of land. The developer went absconding after giving us false assurances that he had taken all permissions. No MLA or corporator took any initiative to help us,” said CR Bhaskar, secretary of Golden Village Residents Association.