Greater Faridabad residential societies grapple with lack of sewage facilities

Bijendra Ahlawat

Faridabad, April 14

A majority of the residential societies in the Greater Faridabad area are grappling with the issue of poor civic amenities. With nearly 70 per cent of the societies still lacking drinking water supply connections, the issue of sewage waste disposal has also surfaced as a significant concern.

ALL COMPLIANT SOCIETIES HAVE CONNECTIONS

Sewage connections have been provided to all compliant societies, with sewage discharge directed to the STP at Badshahpur village. — Ajit Singh, Executive Engineer, HSVP

“Despite having around 90 societies in the area, a functional water supply system is yet to be established,” remarked Wing Commander Satinder Singh (Retd), an executive member of the Greater Faridabad Residents’ Welfare Association (GREFA), a registered body. He said while application fees had been paid by the majority of the societies, only 20 to 25 were receiving water, albeit of poor quality characterised by high Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). Additionally, while many societies have received official sewage connections, operational issues such as connectivity and disposal system inefficiencies persist, leading to waste discharge midway and onto green belts.

“Civic amenities remain a distant dream for the area, which boasts a population of over two lakh,” remarked Sumer Khatri, a local resident. He lamented the substandard sewage disposal system, water supply and roads, emphasising the absence of effective mechanisms to address these issues despite the payment of external and internal development charges. Khatri noted that many societies still relied on groundwater (borewell) for their water supply.

“Illegal constructions, encroachments and open garbage dumping have become commonplace,” observed AK Gaur, a resident of Sector 85. He highlighted the absence of green spaces and cleanliness, as well as the lack of public parks and firefighting infrastructure, which exacerbate the situation.

“Greater Faridabad is plagued by a model of fake commitments, perpetuated by a deep-rooted nexus between politicians and builders,” asserted Paras Bhardwaj of ‘Save Faridabad’, an NGO. He pointed out that the presence of a sewage disposal tanker mafia, enjoying political patronage, imposed an additional financial burden due to inadequate infrastructure. Despite a petition filed with the National Human Rights Commission of India (NHRC) in 2021 regarding poor civic amenities, the issue remained unresolved despite assurances from the authorities concerned.

Ankit Bhardwaj, Executive Engineer at the FMDA, acknowledged that 60 out of the 90 societies now had water connections, with approximately 40 of these already operational. Ajit Singh, Executive Engineer at Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), said unauthorised connections and the discharge of untreated waste by some societies posed significant challenges.