Atishi targets chief secy over sewage overflow issue

The minister said that she has received numerous complaints from various parts of the Capital regarding sewer overflow in the recent past

Taking cognizance of dozens of complaints of sewer overflow, Delhi water minister Atishi on Saturday the flagged issue as “serious” and one that is “worsening by the day”, as she criticised chief secretary Naresh Kumar and said that no action has been taken by the bureaucrat despite numerous “instructions” from her.

Delhi education minister Atishi (HT Photo)

“These complaints are very serious in nature and are worsening by the day. Sewer is overflowing everywhere causing inconvenience to the people living in the area,” said Atishi in the letter dated August 17, in which she directed the top government officer to resolve the issue and take strict action against negligent officials responsible for the crisis.

HT reached out to Naresh Kumar, but he did not respond to request for comment.

The minister said that she has received numerous complaints from various parts of the Capital regarding sewer overflow in the recent past. Some of the worst-affected places are Patparganj village, Shashi Garden, Khichripur, Subhash Park, Raj Nagar Part 2, Satya Niketan, RK Puram, Z block Ranjeet Nagar, Faridpuri, Budh Nagar, Pandav Nagar, WEA Karol Bagh, Garhi Village, Pillanji Village, Chandrawal Village, Kotla Village, Sarai Kale Khan Basti, Zamrudpur and Chirag Dilli.

The total length of the sewer lines in the Capital is around 9,000km, said government officials aware of the matter.

To be sure, sewer overflow is not a new issue, but becomes particularly problematic during monsoon months when drains spill over to Delhi’s streets leading to traffic snarls, flooded houses, among other issues.

In the second week of March, Atishi directed Kumar to resolve all complaints related to sewage overflow, water contamination and leaks in water pipeline.

Earlier in the first week of March, the Delhi assembly also passed a resolution, urging immediate action to address water scarcity in different parts of the city along with the issues of sewage overflow, and directed the chief secretary to fix the problems within a week.

However, the minister has cited a lack of on-ground coordination between the urban development department, Delhi Jal Board (DJB), and finance department and said these departments are pinning the blame on each other instead of resolving the issue.

“In many parts of Delhi, sewer water is contaminating drinking water. This could become a serious public health crisis if not attended to immediately. I have held multiple review meetings of Delhi Jal Board along with representatives of locals concerned and DJB officers. Specific complaints with locations have been forwarded to the officials concerned during these meetings. However, there is an impasse because there is no on-ground coordination between different departments. The urban development department, Delhi Jal Board and finance department are indulging in blame game instead of resolving the issue. As a result of this, people of Delhi are affected badly,” the minister said in the letter.

“The chief secretary is the head of bureaucracy. As the head, it is your responsibility to sort and settle issues, so that the people do not face the brunt of laxity of government officials. I have on numerous occasions, verbally and in writing, given instructions to you to resolve this issue before it becomes unmanageable. However, I am shocked to note that no action has been taken on your part. This is not acceptable,” Atishi said.