Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jun 19: Due to artificial flood, water measuring a few feet from the ground has accumulated inside and outside of a house belonging to Ashok Shetty-Jayanthi Shetty couple at Adyar in the city outskirts. The family is surrounded by water to a depth of a few feet, and they cannot venture out of their house. The couple now lives with a family to which they have rented the upper floor of the house. It has been about a month since the family faced this problem. Even though some people's representatives visited this spot, no solution has been found for the standing water.

When concreting the road last year, the height of the road was increased. The house is at a lower gradient than the road. There is vacant land in front of the house where water has got stored. Rainwater and the spring from the underground have not only filled Shetty's courtyard but also the house and courtyard of another house at the back. Till last year, the water used to flow away from a steep space located in front of the house at the back. During the summer, the land owner increased the height of his courtyard by pouring earth there. Now there is no space for the water to flow away as a result of which water has entered both these houses.

As water entered the house, television set, refrigerator and other things have become dysfunctional and tables, sofa, cots, well etc have gone waste, inflicting a loss of several lacs of rupees on the owner.

The couple, in spite of being the owners of the house, now are compelled to live with the family to which the upper storey is rented out. The upper floor is occupied by a mother-son duo. The son operates an auto rickshaw but he is not able to go out to work because of standing water. Even though Shetty spent Rs 25,000 to pump out water, water gets accumulated again.

Jayanthi Shetty says they have been living here for the last nine years and they faced no problem so far. She said they have not been able to step out for a month and people's representatives and officials who personally saw the situation, have not done anything to address the problem. MLA Y Bharath Shetty, said that the officials have been instructed to take steps to address the issue and that the work will start in a couple of days. He said there is a need to ensure that such a problem does not recur in future.