Breaches reported in sullage carrier

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 30

Two breaches have been reported in the sullage carrier which carries the polluted water of the city. A 20-ft breach in the sullage carrier has been reported near the Growth Centre area and another 50-ft breach at Gehri Bhagi village.

Due to the breach, polluted water has entered nearby fields. Even the water along with mud has entered the drain which was under-construction along the sullage carrier. The breach was reported in the carrier at around 11.30 am today, after which the flow of water was stopped. MCB and Triveni company officials have started plugging the breach with sand bags at both points and till the filing of this report the work on plugging the breach was on.

The cause for the breach was said to be heavy rain, which lashed the city last evening. After rain, to ensure earlier disposal of rainwater, MCB officials started pumping out the water from the city and putting into the sullage carrier. The volume of the water increased and was such that it started overflowing and due to its heavy pressure breach occurred at two places of the drain.

MC Joint Commissioner Kamal K Goyal said breach from two places had been reported in the sullage carrier and it seems that the reason behind the breach was the blockade caused by bushes of the tree which fell into the drain due to heavy storm.

He said the work was going on at both places and at one place they have almost plugged in, while at the other, work would be completed by night.

Mayor Balwant Rai Nath said earlier also, many a time, breaches in the sullage carrier were reported as its radius was less and the water pressure was more.

He said: “Hence, we have already decided to lay a parallel pipe with a diameter of 48 inches to enhance the capacity of the carrier at a cost of Rs 17.20 crore. The state government has already approved the project and the work on it was already going on.”

Ninety per cent of the sewage in the city is pumped out using electric motors installed at a pumping house located under the railway overbridge (RoB) on the Mansa road adjoining the local Civil Hospital. The sewage is then taken to the Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) — that has a capacity of 52 million litre per day (MLD), situated adjacent to Harbans Nagar on the Mansa road through underground water pipes.

The sewage is then treated at the STP from where it is taken to the sullage (or drain) and then further taken to the Lasara Drain. The sullage carrier runs parallel to a distributary of Sirhind Canal. The treated water is used in villages.