Open drains raise health concerns in Bandipora town

Bandipora, March 28: The decades-old town drainage system in Bandipora district headquarters in north Kashmir has seen little improvement with open drains seen as a major health hazard by the medical experts here.

Concerned authorities, including the district administration, have been accused of doing "little" to address the lingering problem.

Excessive discharge and rains often leave the drains overflowing and filthy water also seeps into homes. With temperatures set to increase in summer months residents rue that the authorities neglect the hygiene of the area.

The drainage system has remained unchanged for decades since the town was rebuilt in 1963 under a master plan following a massive blaze in 1962.

"The open drains are an embarrassment for us; it has been an ugly blot on the face of the town," said Salman Mir, a town resident.

Doctors said that open drains pose a risk to children playing on the streets. "Open drains are a potential source of contamination," one expert who monitors epidemics in the district told Greater Kashmir.

"Moreover, our water supply lines pass through these contaminated drains, and many times fecal contamination of water occurs," he said, adding, "These drains attract flies and other insects, and then they become a source of infection and food poisoning."

A pediatrician said, "These drains are breeding grounds for bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. Children are more susceptible to infections and exposure to contaminated water or surfaces can result in diseases like diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, or skin infections."

ULB-funded drainage project faces hurdles

A Rs 4 crore project funded by Urban Local Bodies (ULB) for an improved drainage network, first initiated in 2018- 2019, saw works to the tune of over Rs 63 lakh getting executed, which included constructing underground drains in Nowpora and market areas of the town. The project was later stalled due to funding issues and was again approved in 2020 by ULB under languishing projects. However, following COVID-19 pandemic, the project has been suspended.

Earlier, the Executive Engineer Municipal Council office Bandipora (MCB) noted that there were pending balance works of the project DPR amounting to Rs 428.30 lakh.

Greater Kashmir is in possession of documents that reveal the details of the project and reservations expressed by the R & B department in giving up the project. The project was later approved by Chief Engineer PW(R&B) north Kashmir on 15-12-2023 and put to tenders twice. The components included constructing an underground drainage system in the town area. The project required that a drainage system be laid after road excavation works to ensure proper water discharge.

Notably, the MCB had pitched for the shifting of pipelines, which R&B said was not included in the project apart from other works. Besides, just "three months set as a deadline," first between July to September and then October to December, the R&B department expressed reservations.

Assistant Executive Engineer R&B Bandipora, Shahid Saleem, told Greater Kashmir that works like "excavation of roads, shifting of pipelines and electricity lines and transformers" were not included. The official added that the project would have run into many hurdles involving other departments due to the "two-year deadline for shifting” works.

He said the project would have incurred damages to roads worth Rs 10 crore, and the drains would have "clogged in some time” due to which the water would have seeped into houses.

“Considering this, we didn't support the project," the AEE said.

Executive Engineer MCB Bandipora, Aijaz Ahmad Khan, admitted that the project DPR was "faulty”. The officer acknowledged that the existing drainage system was "crumbling". He said the funds for a de-siltation have not been received this year, adding that the department will recommend a survey for a fresh project DPR and initiate work to repair drainage in this financial year.