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Ludhiana: Environmentalists term MC’s response ‘too little, too late’
On Thursday, civic body officials started the extensive drive to place sandbags along the nullah passing through the city area to stop the overflowing
: The overflowing of Buddha Nullah at several points in the city after heavy rains has raised concerns among the residents over the civic body’s failure in fortifying the banks of the nullah in the wake of the monsoon.
On Thursday, civic body officials started the extensive drive to place sandbags along the nullah passing through the city area to stop the overflowing.
However, city-based environmental activists targeted the civic body by terming its response “too little, too late”. Environmental activist CM Lakhanpal said, “The municipal corporation keeps a budget of around ₹3 crore every year for the maintenance of the Buddha Nullah but there is hardly any difference in the situation.”
He said the sandbags are just an emergency response while the actual problem which is dumping of solid waste into the water body remains unaddressed.
He added that the nullah is both deep and wide where it enters and exists the city. The problem is within the city where the area along the nullah has been encroached upon.
He added that though the nullah overflows from same locations each year, nothing is being done to solve the problem.
After heavy rains on Wednesday, the nullah had overflowed into residential areas at four locations, Vivek Nagar, Chander nagar, Tajpur road and Dhoka colony. Manholes and road gullies in low-lying areas of the city, including Shivpuri and Sunder Nagar, started overflowing as the Buddha Nullah was filled up to the brim leading to waterlogging in different areas.
As heaps of wild grass were stuck under the different bridges over the nullah, it had hampered the flow of water leading to overflow at different points. Poclain and JCB machines were deployed to clear the water body of the wild grass.
