Choked sewerage harries commuters, poses risk of disease in Ferozepur

Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, August 8

The choked sewerage system juxtaposed with the absence of any stormwater drainage system has forced the residents of the city to go through the ‘nightmarish’ conditions, which have not only affected daily life, health, and hygiene but also pose a threat to commuters.

At several places in the town, the overflowing sewerage water has been spilling on roads, and in some cases, it has been entering the houses as well. The sewerage is reportedly blocked at many locations, including Kutcha Zira Road, Golden Enclave, Bharat Nagar, Ichhewala Road, Basti Nizamdin, Udham Singh Marg and Ali Ke Road, among other places.

Paramjit Singh, a resident of Basti Nizamdin, said despite repeated requests by the residents, the Sewerage Department has not done much to resolve this problem. Paramjit said, “Whenever we go to their office, they just give us false assurance and things remain the same.”

Another resident, Naresh Thakur, said the state government has failed to provide basic amenities. “The entire road remains submerged with stinking sewerage water, which makes it risky for passersby, and residents of the area suffer the most,” said Naresh. He added that the sewage water was getting mixed with drinking water at several places, which was extremely dangerous for health.

City Beopar Mandal president Ashwani Mehta said the markets were flooded with sewage water, due to which customers were reluctant to come. “The poor shopkeepers suffered due to the lackadaisical approach and apathy of the government,” he said.

Municipal Council President Rohit Kumar Grover said people come to him regarding this matter every day. He added that the state government was not releasing any funds to resolve the problem.

Executive Engineer Harsharanjit Singh said the work for the cleaning of the blocked sewage has been started.

Over the years, the population and number of households have increased, and the flow in the sewerage was much greater than the design capacity, said an official. Sources said the suction machines meant to de-silt the sewerage, which was purchased for this town, have been sent to some other place temporarily, due to which the work on cleaning the sewerage has taken a hit.