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Rajaji Nagar is drowning in filth

With the entire state on high alert in light of the recent epidemics, the residents of the colony are vulnerable to serious health issues.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Rajaji Nagar Colony, located right at the heart of the city is a 12 acre large overcrowded slum, infamous for its poor health, sanitation and hygiene conditions. The colony is located right beside an open sewer which is an ideal breeding ground for swarms of rats, mosquitoes, and other pests. With the entire state on high alert in light of the recent epidemics, the residents of the colony are vulnerable to serious health issues.

The residents, who have no option for safe waste disposal, are forced to dispose their waste into the nearby sewer which often gets blocked and becomes perfect breeding ground for pests. “We’ve no option but to dump our waste in the sewer. There is no waste collection system in the colony,” said Sarasamma a resident of the colony.

An urban health centre with minimal staff, basic equipment and insufficient storage facilities, is all that the residents have to depend on in case of medical emergencies. Even the state of the health centre building is precarious.
There is no lab facility and consultation timing is just for eight hours. During monsoon the rain water floods the entire are and even inundating houses.

“Total unhygienic conditions prevail in the colony. A number of cases of tuberculosis are being reported from the colony. However, residents do not come forward for treatment fearing social stigma. There is a good chance of an outbreak of epidemic if the condition of sewer is not improved,” said a doctor at the Urban Health Centre. The ward councillor M V Jayalakshmi said the lack of space and the tendency of the residents to dump waste into the sewers were the main reasons for the poor conditions in the colony.

She alleged that many residents collected waste from different parts of city for money and dumped it into the sewers here. “This is the main reason behind blockage of sewer. There is lack of space which limits our options for improving the facilities at the Health Centre. However, the region is included in the Smart City plan and various development projects are in the pipeline,” she added. However, colony residents say with monsoon set to gain strength the poor conditions in the colony needs to be addressed on priority.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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