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Ludhiana gas tragedy puts focus on sewage woes of Giaspura residents
Residents have complained that moderate rains worsen the situation and foul smell engulfs the whole area
With teams of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), and municipal corporation initiating sampling of the sewage water in Giaspura area and inspecting any blockages in the sewage, the incident has brought to focus the sorry state of the sewerage system in the area, which is densely populated.
A toxic gas lead in the area claimed 11 lives on Sunday. However, the reason of the tragedy is not yet known.
Residents have complained that moderate rains worsen the situation and foul smell engulfs the whole area.
As it had also rained on Sunday, the manholes were seen leaking in several parts of the area and rainwater collected on the roadside at several places also point towards the acute problem of waterlogging in the area.
Residents said that they are living in ‘hell-like’ conditions for the last few years due to the problem of sewage as nobody from the authorities paid heed to their situation.
Rohit Kumar, who lives near the mini-rose garden in Giaspura said that sewage water keeps overflowing through day and night.
“Even the rose garden, which was opened with much fan-fair, remains waterlogged as the sewage drains have run out of their capacity,” he said.
Another resident, Heera Lal, who owns a grocery shop in Giaspura, said, “Traces of chemical-like substance in the overflowing drains are quite common, but we had never faced a situation or experienced any toxic gas like this ever.”
He said that authorities should find a permanent solution to the sewage problem in the Giaspura area to make sure no such thing happens ever again.
The Giaspura area hosts scores of industrial establishments, including electro-plating units, forgeries and residential properties where thousands of inhabitants, most of whom belong to the working-class group, reside.
On Monday, teams of the municipal corporation also replaced the broken manholes with new ones and checked for any blockage in the nearby areas.
After taking samples from the sewage, caustic soda was used in the drains to wash away any remnants of the reported deadly gas.
An MC official requesting anonymity said that upon conducting initial checking, common sewage gases, including hydrogen sulphide, and traces of carbon monoxide, which though uncommon and is not poisonous in low intensity, were found.
MC officials said that the level of sewage was normal and no significant blockage was reported. They said that teams remain active in the area to facilitate the residents.
