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Ludhiana: Dust pollution aggravating residents’ woes in Sarabha Nagar area
Already grappling with poor air quality index (AQI), residents of Sarabha Nagar are facing a double whammy amid dust pollution caused by ongoing work to lay pipes under the 24x7 canal-based surface drinking water supply project
Already grappling with poor air quality index (AQI), residents of Sarabha Nagar are facing a double whammy amid dust pollution caused by ongoing work to lay pipes under the 24x7 canal-based surface drinking water supply project.
Road have been dug up in multiple places in the area and residents say they have been suffering from asthma-like symptoms as dust originating from the debris blows into their homes and settles on their vehicles.
“A number of cars have been damaged due to poor condition of roads in the area. Several vehicles got stuck in pits after it rained recently. My husband, who is a senior citizen, also had a tough time after rains earlier this month. We thought that the situation will improve, but the situation is the same even after two months,” said Poonam, adding that her son slipped on the road recently due to the mud spread there and sustained injuries.
People have also been seen driving in wrong lanes to avoid bad roads, which increases chances of road mishaps.
Two prominent schools in Sarabha Nagar are running in full strength. The situation goes from bad to worse in the afternoon as parents, who came to receive their children, park their cars on the broken road and leave clouds of dust behind.
Dalip Kaur, a resident of H- Block in Sarabha Nagar, said most roads in the area have been dug up to lay pipelines for a 24x7 water supply project. “A thick layer of sand accumulates on our vehicle and on the porch of houses everyday. We have to wash it twice a day to prevent dust allergies and deteriorating air quality due to rising farm fire incidents has compounded the problem.”
Himanishu Gupta, another resident of Sarabha Nagar, said his entire family, including his parents and children, are suffering from air and dust borne allergies.
Rose Garden in similar state
Even the Nehru Rose Garden has been dug up at multiple places to lay pipes, and the surface has not been levelled, complained morning walkers, adding that the garden has become more polluted now than city roads.
The pits have been covered unevenly with sand and when the people walk over the uneven patches, it causes dust pollution. They said that the air quality is already bad and poor work of laying water pipes has further added to the problem.
While MC commissioner Shena Aggarwal was not available for comments, mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu said that he will direct officials concerned to address the problem soon.
The project
A total of ₹1,693.37 crore will be spent on the project in the first phase of the 24x7 canal-based surface drinking water supply project over a period of 10 years, of which ₹270.73 crore will be for maintenance. The proposal security will be ₹12.4 crore. The project was given the green signal during the general House meeting held recently.
Besides setting up water treatment plants and associated transmission networks, the civic body will establish 139 OHSRs at various locations in the city under the ₹3,394.45 crore World Bank (WB) funded project.
Officials said the city already has 77 reservoirs, while the remaining will be established under the project. They added that it will take around three years to complete the first phase.
Officials say the project may take seven to eight years to complete, but surface water supply might start in some parts of the city after completion of the first phase.
