Brazen discharge of sewage water raises health worries in Gurugram

Residents said they fear that stagnation of sewage water would turn these spaces into breeding grounds for mosquitoes and even trigger dengue and malaria outbreaks. Over 1,200 families stare at a health risk in the wake of the unauthorised discharge of sewage water, residents said.

Residents of Sector 82 took to social media to complain that tankers laden with sewage water are openly draining it outside residential condominiums such as Mapsko Royal Ville, Casa Bella and Paradise.

Residents said waste water collected from three societies is drained outside these spaces and it happens frequently. (Yogendra Kumar/HT Photo)

The blatant discharge of sewage water in residential spaces has raised health concerns.

Residents said they fear that stagnation of sewage water would turn these spaces into breeding grounds for mosquitoes and even trigger dengue and malaria outbreaks. Over 1,200 families stare at a health risk in the wake of the unauthorised discharge of sewage water, residents said.

Residents allege that as the sewage treatment plant is in the process of being built, there is a need to drain out the sewage water somewhere. “I have spoken to drivers of tankers, which discharge sewage water outside our society. They said that they are not paid enough to drain it somewhere far away, and hence, discharge it here,” said Daljeet Singh, a resident of Mapsko Royal Ville who had tweeted about this issue on Tuesday.

“The drained water, when stagnant, becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes and the city has already reported cases of malaria and dengue. As per norms laid down by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), sewage water should be discharged in designated spaces, far away from residential areas,” Sharma said.

The owner of the tankers laden with sewage water, who asked not to be named, said there were some expense related issues between the contractor and the builder due to which the contractor withdrew from the sewage treatment plant (STP) project.“That is the reason why we had to drain it outside, as the STP work had stopped. In fact, today, we cleared the sewage water and covered the area where it was discharged with soil,” Yadav said.

The contractor could not be reached for a comment in the matter.

Mohit Singla, director, Mapsko Group, said, “ This is not in the domain of builders and, it is the contractor who has to be held responsible for this (unauthorised discharge of sewage water).”

Yashpal Yadav, commissioner, MCG, assured prompt action. “The issue has come to our notice and we will take prompt action soon,” Yadav said