Sewage overflow floods CISF-Indirapuram road

The CISF-Indirapuram road that connects Indirapuram, Vasundhara and other areas with NH-24 is flooded with sewage discharge overflow from the sewage treatment plant (STP) premises in the vicinity. Officials of the Ghaziabad development authority (GDA) said that the issue is due to the short width of the STP outlet, which drains treated discharge from three STPs on the premises.

The CISF-Indirapuram road that connects Indirapuram, Vasundhara and other areas with NH-24 is flooded with sewage discharge overflow from the sewage treatment plant (STP) premises in the vicinity. Officials of the Ghaziabad development authority (GDA) said that the issue is due to the short width of the STP outlet, which drains treated discharge from three STPs on the premises.

Officials of the Ghaziabad development authority (GDA) said that the issue is due to the short width of the STP outlet, which drains treated discharge from three STPs on the premises. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

Residents said that the issue crops up often and hinders traffic flow. The road is one of the most used in the city and many use this road daily to move onto the NH-24 for work. Residents said that the issue of sewage overflow is persistent in Indirapuram, but GDA turns a blind eye.

“The overflow on the road is a recurrent issue. Also, there is sewage backflow into our localities and the filthy water flows into the basements of our highrise. It is difficult to rope in a super sucker machine every time this happens. We have also moved a public interest litigation in this regard at the Allahabad high court. The resolution has been delayed,” Alok Kumar, a resident of Arihant Harmony highrise in Indirapuram, said.

BK Pandey of Vaishali said, “There are times when there is no alternative but to drive through the sewage. The issue is worse on one side of the CISF road, while moving from NH-24 to Vasundhara. Often, one can easily find roadside kiosks and small shops surrounded by filthy water, and looking like an island.”

The STP complex in Indirapuram comprises three STPs — a 48MLD plant of the municipal corporation, 56MLD plant of GDA and 72MLD plant of the UP Jal Nigam. Indirapuram is maintained by the GDA; it is yet to be handed over to Ghaziabad municipal corporation.

“The overflow is mainly due to the operations of the Jal Nigam STP. Earlier, it was running at a minimum level due to issues between the corporation and Jal Nigam. Now, it is operating at a higher capacity and the treated sewage discharge is heavy. The outlet for the three STPs is common but small in width, which results in the spilling of treated sewage,” Chakresh Jain, executive engineer of the GDA, said.

“Our maintenance staff who operate the super sucker machines were not available as they were roped in for election duty. Now, we will coordinate with the respective agencies and try to resolve the issue,” he said.