Solan: Seepage problem giving sleepless nights to locals

Tribune News Service

Ambika Sharma

Solan, March 17

With the blocked drains impeding the natural flow of storm water, all is not well with the Tehsil Patwar ward of the Solan Municipal Corporation (MC).

No lessons have been learnt from the last monsoon when houses situated on the hill at Shamti had suffered damage due to erosion caused by seepage of water. The natural flow of water had been disrupted due to the haphazard construction activity.

As many as 108 families were affected after a 500-metre hill had eroded. Of the 80 houses, 30 were completely damaged and 50 suffered partial loss. Even seven months after the incident, the families were struggling to resettle.

The residents rue inadequate sewage disposal mechanism in the ward. “The drains from Khundidar to Kali Mata temple as well as around Negi Colony are blocked. Puddles of dirty water around these housing colonies inconvenience two-wheeler riders who had to pass through the dirty water,” rued Anil, a resident.

Even after the colossal loss in the last monsoon, seepage of water in the houses and on the road continues to be a problem as the drains remain clogged. Some callous residents let out loose sewage pipes onto the streets during the rains and dirty water flows enters the houses downhill.

The continuous seepage of water has started affecting road surface as cracks are clearly visible. Due to the gradual damage to the road, residents fear that the houses downhill could be damaged in the next monsoon season.

“The Solan civic body has failed to address this key problem and if left ignored, it could cause another havoc like the one that occurred last monsoon,” said Sanjay, another resident.

The issue of the lack of cleanliness in the ward, which was created by merging the nearby rural areas in 2020, has remained unaddressed. “The door-to-door garbage collection has not been effective as garbage is collected in a shoddy manner on a two-wheeler on alternate days with no proper timing. At times, the trash collector comes after 10 am when most residents have left for work,” rued Sunita, a resident.

The residents regretted that they did not see any benefit after their area was merged with the Solan MC. Even the three-year tax exemption had ended and they would have to pay a substantial property tax, though, apart from streetlights, no facility had been added, they said.

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