Missing drainage network creating crisis with treated water in Noida

“The Authority had approved a ₹39 crore estimate for the 10.2km line. Work will start soon, once the formalities are completed,” said a Noida Authority official aware of the development

Residents and experts say rainwater and treated or untreated sewage has been accumulating in newly developed residential and industrial areas along the Noida–Greater Noida Expressway because of the Noida Authority’s failure to build a master drainage and sewer network. This has created “artificial ponds”, such as the one in Sector 150 where 27-year-old software engineer Yuvraj Mehta drowned on January 17.

Manmeet Singh, a resident, said mature trees were dying in the green belt outside Sector 150. “It is a prime example of how the Noida Authority is failing to handle the sewage and rainwater.” (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

“These artificial ponds pose a major risk to human life,” said Atul Gupta, president of the Noida chapter of the Uttar Pradesh Architecture Association, adding that the treated or untreated wastewater of newly developed residential and industrial areas goes into either green belts, low lying vacant plots or sector drains and sewage lines, which are not connected to master sewer lines or drains.

There are dozens of newly built group housing societies in sector 142, 143, 144, 150, 151 and 152, including industrial and plotted developments, on a 10km stretch on both sides of expressway.

Residents say they are frustrated by the endless delays.

“We have been living in Le Grandiose society for three years and have seen the water filled in this vacant plot, where the techie died. We fail to understand why the Authority couldn’t provide even basic civic services like sewage treatment plant (STP) or master drain to keep wastewater out,” said Krishan Kumar, a Sector 150 resident. “Do they need another software engineer to die to work on these services?”

“Only three societies in the sector have STPs, and they dump their treated waste into storm water drains, which finally goes into vacant plots. A regulator here can help keep the rain or treated water out of this sector. But this will be built by the UP irrigation department,” said a senior Noida authority official, requesting anonymity.

Responding to this, chief engineer of the UP irrigation department, BK Singh said, the tender was issued two months ago and an agency will be finalised in the coming days. “The regulator will empty the treated wastewater out of this Sector 150 into the Hindon River regularly. During rains, it will help to ensure that the rain water does not reach this residential area.”

Manmeet Singh, another resident, said mature trees were dying in the green belt outside Sector 150. “It is a prime example of how the Noida Authority is failing to handle the sewage and rainwater.”

The work to build a master sewer and drain network was started along the stretch in 2009, said a Noida Authority official on condition of anonymity, adding that it was not completed properly and building the network now “will take time”.

In March 2025, the Noida Authority decided to build a 20.4km-long master sewer network along the expressway —beginning from Advant Mall Sector 137/168 towards sector 145/150 — to rid it of the issue of sewer overflow.

“The Authority had approved a ₹39 crore estimate for the 10.2km line. Work will start soon, once the formalities are completed,” said a Noida Authority official aware of the development.

The work has been pending because of several parallel infrastructural works that interrupted the completion of the sewer line, added the official, including a high voltage line above the site of the sewer line and pillars of the metro’s Aqua Line.

The Noida Authority spokesperson did not respond to HT’s requests for comment.