Panic grips residents as groundwater seeps in through floors in Rishikesh

Rishikesh municipal commissioner Rahul Kumar Goyal has said that immediate steps are being taken to pump out water from the area.

Groundwater has begun to seep in through the floors of some houses in Ganganagar area of Uttarakhand due to incessant rains, causing concern among residents and authorities. "The area is located along the banks of the Ganga and due to the absence of a proper drainage system, it is perpetually waterlogged during the rainy season. The continuing spell of heavy rains this monsoon has worsened the situation with water seeping through the floors of houses," Ekant Goyal, a social worker in Ganganagar locality, said.

Retired government official Anoop Mittal attributed the problem to a sudden rise in the ground water level in the area following heavy rains. 'It is the failure of the sewer system in Ganganagar area. The state government should take immediate steps to flush out water from the area and conduct a geological study of the groundwater sources for the safety of the houses in Ganganagar,' he said. Some residents are so scared that they are planning to sell off their properties in the colony and shift elsewhere.

'It is all a result of unplanned development. Housing maps were approved by the authorities without caring whether they were blocking aquifers. As a consequence, structures came up over acquifers replete with water which are now oozing through the floors,' Uttarakhand Jan Vikas Manch president Ashutosh Sharma said, adding that a new sewer plan should be made for Rishikesh for the next 100 years.

Rishikesh municipal commissioner Rahul Kumar Goyal, however, said immediate steps are being taken to pump out water from the area.

State Urban Development Minister Premchand Aggrawal also visited the colony to take stock of the situation. "When Ganganagar was being built, the authorities did not pay as much attention to putting in place a proper drainage system as required. The six inch sewer line in the area got choked with slush leading to waterlogging which may have led to the situation," he said.

The state government has signed an agreement with a German company to prepare a foolproof sewage plan for the entire Rishikesh and lay the sewer lines by next year as a permanent solution to the problem, he added.