Sewage, industrial waste entering streets of Baddi

Ambika Sharma

Solan, February 22

Residents of Bhatoli Kalan village in Baddi are forced to live amidst unhygienic conditions as sewage and industrial effluent are flowing onto streets for the past several months. The Himachal Pradesh Housing and Urban Development Authority (HIMUDA) has set up a housing colony there. The colony residents and the villagers living on its periphery are the worst sufferers as sewage frequently overflows from choked drains.

Executive Engineer (HIMUDA) Girish Sharma says that sewage and industrial waste are flowing out of the industries falling in the jurisdiction of the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Development Authority (BBNDA) and the Jal Shakti Department.

Villagers say that the drains laid in the area are choked for the past eight or nine months. “People are forced to walk on roads overflowing with waste. Even sewage tanks of the HIMUDA colony have been damaged and sewage is flowing to fields and nearby water bodies. With no solution in sight, locals have dug up trenches to stop sewage from flowing to their land. There has been no improvement in the situation though several reminders have been sent to the authorities concerned,” they rue.

This is not an isolated case in the Baddi industrial area. The residents of the Basanti Bagh area have a similar story to tell. The situation in the area is worsening with each passing day, with none coming forward to streamline the drainage system.

Ganeshi Lal, a BBNDA official, says that the Jal Shakti Department is responsible for sewage management and the onus lies on the Municipal Council to regulate it in its area. With no one ready to take the responsibility, the residents are forced to live in pathetic conditions.