Ludhiana: Dilapidated road to Tajpur dump disrupts waste collection, triggers sewer blockage
For the past two days, overflowing drains and sewage backflow have flooded New Vishwakarma Colony with dirty water, raising concerns among residents about the potential spread of disease
Ludhiana is facing a growing civic crisis as the poor condition of the road leading to the city’s main garbage dump at Tajpur Road has caused severe disruption to waste collection and triggered a major sewer blockage in the city’s East constituency. The situation, which has escalated into a health hazard, is affecting several residential colonies, including those in the mayor’s own ward.
According to municipal corporation (MC) officials, a manhole in the main sewer line near the Tajpur Road dump was damaged during garbage unloading operations. The damage allowed heaps of waste to enter the sewer system, causing the line to choke and leading to overflowing drains and sewage backflow in areas like New Vishwakarma Colony.
Residents have been enduring this public health crisis, with sewage water flowing into the streets for the past two days. “This is not just a sanitation issue anymore, it’s a health hazard,” said a resident of New Vishwakarma Colony. The overflowing sewage has raised concerns among locals, who are now worried about the potential spread of disease.
In response to the mounting crisis, mayor Inderjit Kaur convened a meeting at her camp office on Saturday to address the issues and pulled up MC officials for the delay in garbage processing and sewer repairs. “We need to act swiftly. This problem has dragged on for too long,” Kaur said, urging immediate action to ensure uninterrupted waste collection and the prompt repair of the damaged sewer line.
The situation has been exacerbated by the dilapidated condition of the road leading to the dump, which has hindered proper garbage unloading. Wet waste from garbage trucks often spills onto the road and flows into open manholes, further aggravating the sewer blockage, particularly during the ongoing rainy season.
Civic body officials admitted that wet and unmanaged waste left on the road easily finds its way into open manholes, worsening the choking.
Adding to the concern is the delay in fresh waste processing, for which the MC had roped in a private firm several months ago. The composting of wet waste has not started yet, raising questions about the effectiveness of the arrangement.
An MC official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that while tenders for legacy waste bioremediation and fresh waste composting had already been awarded, actual work on both projects had not yet started.
“The bioremediation process may begin soon as the civic body has recently received approval for an electricity connection at the site. For fresh waste, we have allotted 3 acres of land to the private agency, and composting work is expected to start soon. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for Monday,” the official added.
Chief engineer Ravinder Garg has assured that the sewer line repair work was ongoing. “One side of the sewer manhole has already been repaired, and the remaining work will be completed soon. We expect the issue to be resolved shortly,” he said.
