Residents of Giri Nagar in southeast Delhi have been drinking contaminated water since eight to nine months. A road caved in last year during monsoon after which the sewerage system settled inside, parallel to a drinking water pipeline.
Residents complain that due to this the sewage is getting mixed with water line and since then, they have been getting contaminated water.
K Z Khan, General Secretary, Residents Welfare Association of Balmukund Khand in Giri Nagar, said mostly, water is yellowish in colour and sometimes even black and gives a bad odour.
“People have been falling sick due to waterborne diseases. We have made several complaints to local MLA Avtar Singh Kalka but every time we got assurances without any solution. We also approached the Delhi Jal Board’s chairman Kapil Mishra and other officials, but in vain,” he said.
Other residents also complained that the DJB has transferred three engineer level officials since then, who were working on its repair.
The DJB had installed a generator set to remove the sewage and release it into a different pipeline some time ago.
However, residents alleged that it does not work efficiently and sometimes the workers turn it off to save diesel.
“The Delhi Jal Board had done a tender of Rs 5 lakh to repair it, but after so many months, the cost has escalated at least three to four times and that too on non-repair work,” Khan claimed.
Many residents also alleged that sewage from the pipes flows into their bathrooms also. Gurdwara Guru Singh Sabha, in the area faces the same problem where the sewage has entered its basement.
“If no action is taken soon, there is a possibility that the gurdwara can settle,” Khan said. He added, the sewerage system in the area is very old, while the population is increasing day by day. “It’s getting burst as it is not meeting the capacity”. When contacted, a DJB official said the “situation is being monitored and an action will be taken soon”.
Published 23 January 2016, 02:18 IST