Untreated industrial waste damaging sewer lines, FMDA to get sample tested

The release of untreated chemical and industrial waste has damaged sewer lines in some of the industrial areas of the city. The Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority (FMDA), which has undertaken the work regarding the cleaning of the sewer network, has decided to get the sample of the untreated waste tested in a laboratory.

A majority of the 138-km-long drains is clogged.

According to the sources in the FMDA, the issue of damaged sewer lines, laid around 50 years ago, surfaced during the cleaning work at the main disposal point located in Sector 25 here. The point has been blocked, which has resulted in outflow of the sewage into the open drain near Seekri village. The point here receives sewage from different areas, including the lines coming from the industrial sectors of 58 and 59.

The pipes were suspected to have been damaged mainly due to the flow or presence of the chemical-laced untreated waste into the line for past several years, said an official. He said a large number of industrial units located in various areas and non-conforming zones releasing untreated waste into the lines might have damaged the pipelines.

Poor and inadequate infrastructure at sewage treatment plants and effluent treatment plants in the industrial sectors could be blamed for the problem, said sources.

The issue of the accumulation of civic and industrial waste in sectors 58 and 59 had been raised by local entrepreneurs. “The sewage and civic waste, which was discharged by the units in the area, was not being disposed of in a proper manner. As a result, it had led to the accumulation of the waste, causing acute pollution. It had posed a groundwater contamination threat,” says Narender Sirohi, a resident of Saroorpur village.

Suresh Chand Garg, president of the Industrial Welfare Association, said several acres of land earmarked for developing a shopping complex had turned into the waste dumping spot.

With the cleaning of 35-km sewer lines having been accomplished already, the FMDA proposes to clean a total of around 100-km lines in the city. The work regarding the maintenance of roughly one-third of 640-km main lines had been taken over by the FMDA last year. FMDA Chief Engineer Vishal Bansal said the department would get the samples tested as damage to pipelines could be due to the release of the untreated chemical waste.