3 years on, Amritsar civic body yet to address choked sewer lines issue in city west

Charanjit Singh Teja

Amritsar, June 9

Former Senior Deputy Mayor Raman Bakshi has raised concerns over regular choking of sewer lines and contaminated water supply in the Chheharta area. Bakshi claimed that due to lack of coordination between the municipal corporation and officials of the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board, the issue had not been resolved.

He alleged that the state government and the MC were not working in the right direction to find a permanent solution to the issue.

Residents of Chheharta, Khandwala, Gahnupur Kale, Guru Ki Wadali and several other localities in the West Assembly constituency have been facing the issue of choked sewer lines since the last three years. After the sewerage treatment plant (STP) started functioning at Kahparkheri, the flow of sewer water was affected. Officials of the MC and sewerage board claimed that the capacity of the STP should be enhanced to address the issue of choked sewers. They said, “Due to blockage in sewer lines, stinking water gets accumulated in streets and manholes overflow regularly.”

Bakshi said, “The issue has been raised by local MLAs in the Punjab Assembly, but no solution has been found for it. In winters, the MC reduces the potable water supply to decrease the volume of water in the sewer lines, but it fails to address the issue. Now, in summers, residents use their submersible pumps. When the World Bank’s canal-based water project is completed, the potable water supply would be available for 24 hours. The government should enhance the capacity of the STPs.”

“The MC should desilt sewer lines before the onset of the monsoon otherwise there are chances of outbreak of pandemic in the area. After laying of sewer lines in 2012, these have not been desilted since the last 12 years. The choking of sewer further leads to contamination of the potable water supply,” said Bakshi.

A few months ago, the MC Commissioner had asked officials of the sewer board to operate all motors at the STPs without any disruption to pump out water. This reduces the sewer water level in pipelines, but the sewerage board does not operate motors regularly. Bakshi claimed that sewerage board officials operate only two motors out of five.