Ensure sewer overflow crisis resolution in 48 hrs: Atishi to chief secretary

Delhi water minister Atishi has written to chief secretary Naresh Kumar to resolve Delhi’s problems related to overflow of sewage

Delhi water minister Atishi in a letter on Friday directed chief secretary Naresh Kumar to ensure that problems due to overflow of sewage, contamination of water and leakage are resolved within 48 hours.

Delhi water minister Atishi in a letter on Friday directed chief secretary Naresh Kumar to ensure that problems due to overflow of sewage, contamination of water and leakage are resolved. (Sanchit Khanna/ HT Photo)

Along with a copy of the communication sent to the chief secretary, Atishi posted on X, “(I) am receiving complaints from all over Delhi regarding sewers overflowing, water contamination and water pipeline leakages. Have given strict directions to chief secretary to resolve these problems within 48 hours and to ensure that long term solutions are initiated within a week.”

The letter stated that nearly 80 complaints from the public about sewer overflow and pipeline leakage have been received in just one day and they are among hundreds of complaints that the minister has received in the last week. “The grievance redressal portal of DJB has more than 10,000 unresolved complaints. Despite repeated instructions to the CEO and senior officials, there has been no improvement on the ground level,” the letter adds.

“I have brought several of these complaints to the attention of the CEO of DJB, but despite that, there has been no change in the ground-level situation. I am surprised that despite repeated complaints, senior DJB officials have not taken any long-term corrective action in this matter. As a result, the people of Delhi are being forced to live in inhumane conditions. Despite my instructions, the CEO, chief engineers, and other officials, who are required to send me their inspection reports every Monday, have not provided me with a single inspection report. It seems as if DJB officials prefer that the people of Delhi continue to live with overflowing sewers, contaminated water supply, and leaking pipelines,” Atishi said

The letter adds that since sending complaints to the CEO and members of DJB has yielded no results, all complaints related to DJB will now be forwarded to the chief secretary.

On March 5, LG Saxena and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal engaged in a spat on social media over civic and infrastructure issues in Sangam Vihar, a neighbourhood in south Delhi. The LG shared multiple photos to show the poor civic and infrastructure conditions in the area besides a picture in which he is seen touring the area with officials. Later, Kejriwal wrote a letter to chief secretary Naresh Kumar asking him to fix the shortcomings flagged by the LG within seven days and send him (CM) daily action taken reports.

Chief secretary Naresh Kumar on Thursday issued orders directing constitution of panels made up of senior bureaucrats for undertaking ground visits and taking corrective actions to improve the conditions of unauthorised areas in Delhi such as Sangam Vihar, Kirari and Burari.