: Residents of Narinder Nagar near Samrala Chowk were a harried lot on Tuesday after discoloured sewage water again flooded their area. The residents had earlier staged a protest alleging that a dyeing unit located in the area has discharged untreated water in the sewers, after which the authorities had closed the unit.
The residents had come out in protest in the late hours of Thursday after their street was inundated with dark-coloured industrial discharge. The residents alleged that the water was polluted and had been discharged into the street by the unit.
The municipal corporation had also issued a notice to the unit and referred the matter to the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) which had closed the unit.
The Municipal Corporation authorities said that after the last incident, the civic body had deployed super suction machines and blocked the main sewer line for cleaning purposes, but due to rains, the sewage water flowed into the colony which is low-lying. Executive engineer Ranbir Singh said that the dyeing unit, Oriental dyeing, had been ordered to be closed, but it is not sure whether the discharge belonged to the unit.
Harjeet Singh, a resident of the area, said that the unit has been established in an area that hosts a number of residential establishments. “Repeated incidents have been witnessed in the past when the unit has put the health of residents at risk,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Harjeet Singh, a resident of the area, said that the unit has been established in an area that hosts a number of residential establishments. “Repeated incidents have been witnessed in the past when the unit has put the health of residents at risk,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}He added that the treatment plant established at the unit should be thoroughly probed to see whether it is working properly.
Virendra Mishra, a member of civil society, said that discoloured water is flowing out of manholes in the colonies around the Samrala Chowk. He added that the unit in question should link its discharge pipes with the nearby common effluent treatment plan (CETP).
Municipal Corporation officials said that the unit falls under the scattered industries category and has been established in the area notified for industries. They said that as per the official notification, the industry can discharge treated waste into the MC sewers till 2024.