Visakhapatnam: Open stormwater drain cries for attention

Visakhapatnam:Though Sakethapuram near NAD Kotha Road has all amenities in place, maintenance takes a huge hit in the colony.

Dilapidated drains and roads stretch all along the congested lanes of the neighbourhood. A stormwater drain that runs along the colony remains uncovered.

Apart from the lack of protection wall, the stormwater drain cries for attention and regular maintenance. "All the subdrains in our neighbourhood are connected to the stormwater drain (gedda). To prevent sewage overflow during monsoon season, there is a need to construct a protection wall along the stormwater drain. There is also a need to rebuild a concrete drain as the existing one has become completely obsolete," says Kalyani Raja, president of the colony.

The colony that has a school and a community hall houses approximately 150-plus families. Since the gedda runs along the colony, the residents here frequently suffer from mosquito-borne diseases. "As the gedda is without any cover, a foul smell emanates from the drain. Also, no extent of mosquito repellants work here as the drain has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes," says K Rama Rao, a resident. The main road of the colony cries for attention as sanitation takes a hit.

There is a heavy traffic flow along the main road of Sakethapuram as it connects NAD, dockyard, shipyard, Convent junction and port.

Traffic bottlenecks are common here and there is a need to streamline the same. Along with traffic problems, sanitation maintenance is also required along the stretch.