Gurugram residents report murky, foul-smelling water for over two weeks

Residents of Sectors 21, 22A, 23, 23A and Palam Vihar claim around 15,000 families are affected as MCG and GMDA test water samples.

Residents of sectors 21, 22A, 23, 23A and Palam Vihar in Gurugram have alleged that they have been receiving murky and stinking water for over two weeks and demanded immediate action from the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) as well as the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA).

Sector 21 residents said they got murky water on Sunday (HT)

A sub-divisional officer of GMDA told HT that after the authority received a complaint from residents of sectors 21 and 22 two days ago, they had the water tested. “No contamination was found at the time. However, we have sent a team again (on Sunday) to inspect the issue and collect samples for testing. We will take the necessary action based on the findings,” he said.

A junior MCG official said they have checked the water connections and found no contamination. “We will get it checked once again,” he added.

However, according to residents’ welfare association representatives, around 15,000 families have been affected across these sectors. In Sector 21, Kundan Lal Sharma, RWA general secretary, said they had been dealing with the issue for over 10 days and over 5,000 residents had been affected. “Residents first raised the issue in our sector’s WhatsApp group, following which we found that people in several adjoining sectors were facing similar concerns,” he said.

Initially, Sharma said, the RWA suspected contamination due to ongoing water pipeline work in the area and escalated the matter. “The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) officials, along with the RWA, surveyed the network and repaired two broken connections on Saturday. However, the contaminated water supply continued even after the repairs,” Sharma added. He said residents reported receiving dirty and muddy drinking water even on Sunday. “Even on Sunday, several residents from our sectors and other sectors reported dirty and muddy drinking water supply,” he said.

Sharma had said that the tankers supplying water to the area had also been recently cleared. Even then, “the Sector 21 booster station was tested, and it was found to be muddy. We have flagged it with the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA),” he said.

GMDA and MCG teams have inspected the supply network, while residents say muddy water continued despite repairs to two broken connections. (HT)

In sector 23A, RWA president Neeru Yadav said some residents even reported insects in the supplied drinking water. “This is a serious issue. The water has a strong foul smell, making it unfit to use even for household purposes, let alone to drink. Several residents in the sector have been receiving such water for the past 15 days, yet the problem continues,” she said, adding that around 2,000 families have been affected in the area.

Vipin Bansal, a resident of Palam Vihar, reported similar concerns. “At least 3,000 families are affected in our area. While this stands as one of the issues, another issue is in our Pocket C, where there is an acute shortage of water. Residents there receive water once every three days,” Bansal claimed.