Faridabad yet to be ready for monsoon fury

Bijendra Ahlawat

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Faridabad, June 2

With monsoon likely to hit the city by month-end, the upkeep of sewerage and storm water system have become a cause for concern. Recently, downpour exposed the preparedness of the Municipal Corporation, Faridabad, (MCF) as many areas were waterlogged for hours.

Issue unresolved for years

Papers may show that the sewerage is being cleaned but the ground situation is different. — Neeraj Sharma, MLA, NIT Faridabad

Work started

The cleaning process of the system started already. It will be completed soon. — Senior Official of MCF

“Most of the localities, including the main roads and major streets, were waterlogged for hours,” said an MCF employee on condition of anonymity.

The sources in civic body claimed that the MCF have to clean as many as 37 drains which carry the storm water. The total length of the drain is over 45 kilometer and over Rs 4 crore are spent every year to clean them. But employees of the civic body claimed that many of drains were choked with silt and waste for most part of the year. Due to poor upkeep and maintenance, they are being used as waste dumping spots which render them ineffective to drain out the excess water in case of heavy rains, the added.

NIT Faridabad MLA Neeraj Sharma said, “Although every year funds are spent on the cleaning of the system, the problem of water logging still remains. The papers may show that the system is being cleaned but on the ground the situation is different.” Garbage and plastic waste clogging the drains had become a prominent issue, he said, adding that the Gonchhi drain, the largest in the city, was lying clogged.

Claiming that situation turns pathetic for the motorists after every downpour, SK Sharma, Coordinator, Road Safety Organisation (RSO) , an NGO, said that the city needs an efficient storm water drainage system. “An efficient system has failed to come up even after the launch of the Smart City project and the formation of the Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority,” he added.

However, claiming that the cleaning process of the system had already started, a senior official of the MCF, said the process was likely to be completed soon.