Hyderabad: The city is under pest attack, and this menace has gone un- noticed by the municipal authorities who reduced Hyderabad’s ‘sanitation’ drive to building a few toilets and desilting nalas, when the real Swacch is needed underground.
Bandicoots and rats are chewing into the city’s sewer pipeline, clogging the whole network.
They carry along mud and other food that blocks the free flow of grey water and thus many kitchen sewer lines and manholes overflow.
And now with the rains, these pests break loose and venture into homes from the sewer lines.
This menace has no redressal from the Municipal end; they consider it as the residents’ headache and leave it up to private pest controllers.
A large number of houses are experiencing rats and bandicoots invading the kitchen sewer lines. Experts state, “This happens where sewer lines are broken or have fallen into disrepair. It is also a serious problem after heavy seasonal rains when water overwhelms the sewer system.”
“Rats can swim a kilometer (about half a mile) or more to reach dry ground, or a dry water closet or bathroom. Any sewer line attached to a garbage disposal provides rats and bandicoots with a food supply. Also construction noise does not disturb these pests. They are likely to remain in their underground lairs happily eating cockroaches until a manhole cover is removed or direct excavation opens the sewer”, said Professor C. Srinivasulu of Osmania University.
Mr Amit Sharma of Uma Nagar-Begumpet said, “I found bandicoots in my kitchen and a rat in my toilet, I have attempted to kill a sewer rat by flushing it and for bandicoots by placing food containing poison in the kitchen and even trap cages, but the problem does not end there, they still invade.
But it is a matter of serious hygiene compromise. Nobody knows what is happening under ground.”
Another complainant Ms K. Jyothi of Banjara Hills added , “My kitchen sewer connection has been repeatedly overflowing, when a private plumber was called in , the entire pipeline was removed and we found rats running across the line.”
