Residents alarmed as Vani Vilas Water Works reservoir overflows again in Yadavgiri

The repeated overflow of large volumes of water from the Vani Vilas Water Works (VVWW) reservoir in Yadavgiri — the second such incident within a fortnight — has caused concern and dismay among residents of the locality.

Bhamy V. Shenoy, a Yadavgiri resident and founder-president of Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP), said the ground-level reservoir overflowed again around 3.30 a.m. on February 15, with streams of water flowing along the roads towards Gujarat Samaj on one side and the Vontikoppal Traffic Police Station on the other.

The incident, occurring barely days after a similar overflow from the same reservoir, which flooded a hotel on Vivekananda Road and damaged property, has further angered residents.

While Mr. Shenoy alleged negligence on the part of VVWW staff in failing to close the valve in time, a VVWW official attributed the incident to a rupture in the pipeline. “The staff could not close the valve due to the rupture. Water supply through the pipeline had to be stopped before repairs could be carried out in the morning,” the official said.

Recalling past incidents, Mr Shenoy said a similar overflow in 2001 had flooded the house of an elderly resident in the locality, forcing her to vacate temporarily.

The MGP had earlier raised the issue with Regional Commissioner Nitesh Patil and other senior officials during a Janaspandana meeting attended by members of the Yadavgiri Residents Association. “We had demanded the constitution of a committee to inquire into the issue and fix responsibility for the recurring overflows,” Mr. Shenoy said, expressing disappointment over the Mysuru City Corporation’s (MCC) failure to take action in this regard.

Mr. Shenoy reiterated MGP’s demand that the management of VVWW be taken out of the purview of the MCC.