Amenities run dry as sewer woes overflow in Bal Kalan

Residents of Bal Kalan rue the deplorable civic amenities in the village, which have turned daily life into nothing short of a nightmare.

Jagdeep Kaur, sarpanch of Bal Kalan village, says without providing proper civic amenities and surface infrastructure, the government allowed the industrial units to be set up which led to the present situation.

She recalled that a 24-inch (two-feet) pipe was laid in the village about 10 years ago connecting the village pond to the main line crossing underneath the main Majitha road. She added that the sewerage line was meant for carrying only domestic waste and not industrial waste.

She alleged that releasing of industrial waste into the sewerage line caused choking of the main sewage line passing underneath the main Majitha road.

She said the sewerage pipe in the village was meant for about 10,000 people residing in 500 dwellings and demanded from the government

that a separate line be

laid for industrial waste failing which the problem would persist.

Sundeep Khosla, president, Bal Kalan Industrial Welfare Association, refuting the allegation, said the sewerage pipe was laid only for the industry after his association had met the then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal who, in turn, directed the PSIEC to lay the sewerage pipes at a cost of Rs 50 lakh.

There are three chappars (ponds) in the village and out of them two overflow. Choking of sewerage pipes was resulting in accumulation of dirty water into the chappars, which could be a major reason behind the outbreak of an epidemic, fear residents.

Satnam Singh, a resident of the area, in a communique to Deputy Commissioner Dalwinderjit Singh, said choking of sewerage pipes in the village resulted in an extremely unhygienic condition. He said the ensuing summer could spell disaster for the residents.

According to Satnam Singh, there are about 400 industrial units in the area which also house their employees. In addition, being situated close to the city and a manufacturing hub, workers and migrants prefer to reside in and around the village.

Seeking immediate resolution of the problem, he demanded from the government to stop industrial units from releasing industrial waste into the sewerage pipes.

Over the years, population has grown manifold while the chappars at the entrance of the village pose a grave health risk. Notably, houses are situated next to the main pond which is overflowing and stinks.

He feared that its dangerous outcomes would be visible in the damage caused to main roads and the contamination of groundwater which could lead to health problems among the residents.