E-Paper
Ludhiana: Drinking water mixed with sewer, claim Kitchlu Nagar residents
Residents also pointed that due to digging, the road has narrowed and the area is now marred by traffic jams
Residents of Kitchlu Nagar have been complaining of contaminated drinking water ever since the work for laying new pipes for 27/7 Bulk Water Supply Project began nearly a week before. They allege that during the digging work to lay the new pipes, the old ones were cracked open at various points, leading to drinking water being contaminated with sewer water.
“Ever since they starting digging, many peeple in the neighbourhood have complained of contaminated water. This area never had this problem earlier,” said Sunny Bhalla, a local who has been taking up the matter with the municipal corporation and district administration. He noted the irony that the residents were getting contaminated water due to the project that is aimed at providing clean water.
Bhalla also said that due to digging, the road has narrowed and the area, which earlier had hardly any traffic issue now witnesses traffic jams.
While the area that has been dug out will soon be covered but it won’t be however immediately followed by black topping due to the weather, which Bhalla claimed would lead to the gravel and peddles scattering over the road, making it dangerous for two-wheelers in the late evenings.
The 27/7 Bulk Water Supply Project is backed by the World Bank. It will have a water treatment plant, 70 overhead reservoirs and 165 long network of pipes across the city to supply water from Sidhwan Canal. Pipes are being laid across the city for this project.
Sub-divisional officer (SDO) Jaideep Singh acknowledged that there was a problem due to the damaged pipe and that soil could have mixed into the water. He said that the problem was fixed by Tuesday evening.
He added that while black topping was not possible right away as the temperature was yet not high enough but the area that has been dug out will be covered right away once the pipe is laid and would be covered by a layer of granular sub base (GSB) and wet mix macadam (WMM).
