Water contamination, choked sewer: Residents fume

Dhananjai Madaan

Amritsar, July 11

Contaminated water supply and blocked sewage at Focal Point are crying for the attention of the authorities concerned.

Residents say survival in such an environment is a Herculean task as waterlogging and contaminated water supply may result in diseases. Foul smell emanates from the waterlogged area round the clock, but the authorities concerned are busy in the blame game.

Kamal Kishore Aggarwal, president of the Focal Point industrialists’ association, said, “When factories release polluted water, it gets accumulated on streets and vacant plots. Even mosquitoes breed on accumulated water due to sewage blockage. It has become a major issue for the residents.”

“The only things visible on the roads are wild weeds and garbage. No action is being taken by the authorities concerned. The situation here is same for over an year,” he said, adding that he wrote to higher-ups seeking action.

Another resident, Sukhna Devi, said, “My husband works as a labourer in a factory. My children are not able to go to school because they keep falling ill due to consumption of contaminated water.”

Bharat Kumar, who owns a factory in the area, said, “My unit is unable to carry out production work for the last six months as sewage has been accumulated on the premises. If my unit starts functioning, the discharge it will generate will inundate roads in the area as the sewerage is already choked.”

When contacted, Anurag Mahajan, Superintending Engineer, Municipal Corporation (MC), said, “The Punjab Water Supply Sewerage Board takes care of the Focal Point area.”

However, Pankaj Jain, XEN, Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board, said, “The disposal and maintaince of pipes is the responsibility of the Municipal Corporation.”