Fathima Beevi sits outside her home at Karimadom Colony
and watches the rice she’s cooking come to a slow boil. As she absently
ladles the contents of the frothing pot, she jerks her head in the
direction of the stream of drainage water snaking through the patchwork
of decrepit homes that make up most of the colony near the Attakulangara
bypass.

“What do you do? How many times can you get a
Minister or any authority to come here and make promises? So we cook,
eat, and wash beside open drains because there is no choice,” says the
grandmother of four, and resident of a single-room house that
accommodates two families.

She is not the only one.
The seven new flats designed by the Centre for Science and Technology
for Rural Development (COSTFORD), as part of the Centre-funded Basic
Services for the Urban Poor (BSUP) scheme being implemented by the city
Corporation, accommodate 140 families. Close to 400 are waiting their
turn.

Constant fear

Living
in perennial fear of rain and outbreak of diseases is taking its toll
on the inhabitants. All they seek is respite from poor drainage
facilities.

“Forget the monsoon season, an hour of heavy rainfall is enough for these homes to be flooded,” said N. Suresh, a resident.

While
some houses are slightly above the drain’s level, others are just
inches above the ground and a slight ripple in the drain will send the
contaminated water indoors.

“There are sufficient
water taps and since this area is low-lying, we rarely face water
shortage. We are more concerned about whether our drinking water will
get contaminated,” said Mr. Suresh, pointing at the taps situated close
to the sewage stream.

21 blocks more

The
civic body is focussing more on the completion of the remaining 21
blocks, but no immediate flood mitigation project is in the pipeline.

A senior official told
The Hindu
that once the hubbub surrounding the recently presented Corporation
budget dies down, a Cluster Development Committee meeting would be held
to pave way for COSTFORD to finish the work it began in 2008.

Their
approach includes creating a proper sewerage network. Disputes
surrounding the beneficiary list have posed delays but specific
reference has been made in the budget about commencing the next phase of
construction at the Karimadom Colony.