City faces waterlogging threat as sewer cleaning not over yet

Despite claims by ministers, MLAs and municipal officials regarding efforts made to resolve the problem of waterlogging in the city, the ground reality tells a different story during the rains. According to the Meteorology Department, heavy rain is expected in the next few days. This has caused worry as delays in cleaning sewer lines continue to worsen the situation across five zones of Amritsar, leaving several areas prone to flooding during the monsoon season.

Over the past two years, tenders worth Rs 4.72 crore have been issued to seven companies, two initially and five more in the last eight months, for cleaning 67.8 kilometers of sewer lines. Yet, due to severe shortage of equipment, only half the sewer lines have been cleaned so far. With the Municipal Corporation possessing just four large super sucker machines, sewer lines to the extent of more than 30 kilometers in length remain clogged.

The east zone is the worst affected, where over 11,223 meters of sewer line still awaits cleaning. In the south zone too, significant portions of the drainage network remain unattended. Most companies are forced to manage with smaller mini super sucker machines due to the limited availability of large machines. These mini machines, costing around Rs 70 lakh each, are not efficient enough for large-scale cleaning. Large super sucker machines, essential for deep and effective sewer cleaning, cost approximately Rs 3 crore each. However, none of the contracted companies own such machines.

Instead, they rely on the Municipal Corporation’s limited fleet of four machines. Once these machines are deployed with a company, the remaining contractors are left waiting for days, severely slowing down the work. On an average, it takes 10 to 15 days just to clean a single location.

Residents demanded that the MC should ensure timely completion of cleaning sewers before every monsoon season to prevent waterlogging. “Due to a shortage of machines and slow contractor performance, the city’s drainage infrastructure remains clogged, causing repeated urban flooding during heavy rains. While officials continue to make promises, the lack of proper planning and resources is making city residents suffer through every spell of rain,” said advocate PC Sharma.