Rains damage Bengaluru pourakarmikas' homes, they say it happens every year

Bengaluru has been witnessing heavy rains over the past couple of days, and while residents welcomed them at first as a respite from the heat, the rains have highlighted Bengaluru’s crumbling road and drainage infrastructure. Houses and roads in areas across the city witnessed flooding, even as more rains are predicted over the coming days. The spell of rains in Bengaluru piled fresh misery on the residents of a settlement of pourakarmikas in the city's Mahadevapura area, after the outer wall of the settlement collapsed and damaged houses on Monday, May 16.

Bujamma, 25, a long-time resident of the settlement, says that almost all the 60 families who live there work as pourakarmikas or civic waste workers for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). The workers help keep the city clean, and residents of the settlement primarily work in areas including KR Puram and Mahadevapura. "It is dangerous that the wall collapsed because we are away at work often, and leave our children to play here," the pourakarmika tells TNM.

The misery for the residents worsened on Tuesday, May 17, with fresh rains leading to flooding in the houses in the settlement and prompting the frantic residents to move their belongings to higher ground. "I have been living here for seven years after moving from Andhra Pradesh. During the rains, we have no option but to watch the water enter our houses and damage our belongings every time there is a spell of rain," Bujamma says.

The incident brought the living conditions of pourakarmikas in parts of Bengaluru into focus. "It is our long-pending demand that proper housing should be provided to pourakarmikas. This is not a problem brought about by the rains this week. This problem occurs each time it rains especially in areas like Mahadevapura, Nagarbhavi and Yelahanka where pourakarmikas are still living in tarpaulin sheds," Lekha Adavi, an advocate and member of All-India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), Karnataka, said.

Rainwater accumulating outside Bujjamma’s house

The residents of the settlement in Mahadevapura live in tarpaulin sheds and pay a rent of Rs 1,700 per month. "Two families live in one 10 ft-by-10 ft tent and manage their households. We work together whenever there is rain and we are still draining the water from last night's rain," Renuka, another pourakarmika from the settlement says.