Bengaluru: Naveen Picardo still cannot shake off the memory of Dec 22, 2025. “The image of that bucket of water I saw that night is still in my mind. No matter how clean the water looks now, every time I go to shower or wash a plate, it haunts me,” he told TOI. What began as a faint suspicion earlier in the month spiraled into a disturbing case of suspected sewage contamination in Bengaluru’s KSFC Layout.Naveen’s house is located a lane behind 3rd B Main Road. He first sensed something was amiss on Dec 1. His family noticed a foul smell while showering, and on checking the sump, saw that the water colour had changed. Assuming it was a one-off problem, they got the sump cleaned and resumed normal use.Over the next few days, however, the household’s health began to deteriorate. Family members suffered from high fever, stomach infections, and diarrhoea. The breaking point came late on Dec 22, when Naveen noticed what he described as faecal-like matter in the water while showering. “I was completely taken aback. I just cannot erase that image from my mind. It caused immense mental stress and even pushed up my blood pressure,” he said.To ensure visibility, Naveen had painted his sump white. “That night, the water was completely grey. I couldn’t even see the bottom of the sump,” he recalled. The sight, he said, explained the string of illnesses his family had been dealing with.Naveen raised a complaint with Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) through its mobile app the same night. He said no official visited his house that day, but the complaint status was marked as ‘closed’. The following day, a BWSSB water man collected a sample from his house, but Naveen said he had received no feedback or test results so far.Although Naveen suspected contamination weeks earlier, the issue drew wider attention only in the past week, when residents living along the 3rd B Main Road began reporting similar problems. The delay has raised questions about water quality monitoring and response mechanisms.Residents are now demanding proactive checks rather than reactive action. “Why should BWSSB act only after someone falls ill or worse, dies?” Naveen asked. Sanjeev, another resident, said consumers have a right to know whether the water supplied is safe. “Despite Naveen complaining earlier, nothing was addressed. We realised something was wrong only after health issues began,” he said.Tharun, another resident, said he suffered severe diarrhoea in the past week and initially blamed food or weather. “I never imagined such contamination could happen,” he said, adding that BWSSB should initiate random checks or provide citizens with basic testing tools.Medical reports of Naveen’s family, accessed by TOI, state that the illness was caused by contaminated water. The family has since drawn an extension from the water line, first collecting water in a bucket to check its colour and smell before allowing it into the sump.Naveen’s house, located at the start of the lane and flanked by vacant plots, was the only one to report health issues. However, the incident has renewed calls for routine BWSSB checks to ensure water safety before such lapses turn into public health crises.
