Omaxe raises big stink in New Chandigarh

Akash Ghai

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Tribune News Service

Mohali, April 13

A serious pollution hazard looms large in the vicinity of the Omaxe mega housing project in New Chandigarh, close to the PGI, with the discharge of untreated waste water in the open.

The waste water, which emanates from bathrooms of occupants in the residential project, is being drained out through the storm water pipeline.

During a visit to the site today, a team of Chandigarh Tribune was told by a senior engineer of the company that water used in bathrooms by the occupants was coming out of the pipeline. The engineer, however, said the water was not sewage. “For sewer water, we have readied a 600 KLD (kiloliters per day) capacity sewage treatment plant (STP), but it is yet to be made operational,” he said.

The Omaxe official claimed that draining out waste water through the storm pipeline was allowed and had been approved by the authorities concerned. However, District Town Planner of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority Meetinder Singh Mann and Assistant Environment Engineer of the Punjab Pollution Control Board Arshdeep Singh asserted that releasing waste water in the open or some river, rivulet or choe was a violation of the norms.

“The water emanating from bathrooms, which has contents of detergent, urine, soap, shampoo and other chemicals, should be treated first if anybody wants to dispose it of in the open. Otherwise, it is not allowed,” said Arshdeep Singh. The authorities said they would inspect the site soon.

A Delhi-based senior official of the company claimed that the STP was ready, but it had not been made operational as the sludge had not reached the requisite level. “So far, nearly 300 families have started living in units constructed under the project. When the sludge reaches the required level, the STP will start functioning,” he said.

Asked why untreated waste water was released through the storm water pipeline, the Omaxe official wanted to know who divulged this information.

He claimed that bathroom water was not being released through the storm water pipeline. He said the pipeline in question could be of some nearby village or some other project. When told that a senior engineer of Omaxe was accompanying the Chandigarh Tribune team which saw untreated waste water being released in the open, the official refused to comment.

Residents living in the vicinity of the Omaxe housing project have lodged complaints about the untreated water being released in the open. The project, spread over 275 acres, will have 1,800 residential units. GMADA has issued a partial completion certificate to the coloniser for the project.