Ludhiana: Dhoka Mohalla residents face health crisis as sewage contaminates water supply
Sub-divisional officer Sandeep Sharma said that as the sewers are blocked, the waste water seeps into the cracks in the pipeline that carries fresh water into homes and contaminates it
While the polluted water of Buddha Nullah has now long receded, the locals of flood-hit Dhoka Mohalla are still forced to drink contaminated water.
As the highly polluted Nullah overflew after the torrential rains last Monday, the narrow lanes along the water body were submerged in a dark stenchy sludge. This, along with the incessant rains that continued over the week overwhelmed the sewage system in the area, according to sub-divisional officer (municipal corporation) Sandeep Sharma.
Sharma said that as the sewers are blocked, the waste water seeps into the cracks in the pipeline that carries fresh water into homes and contaminates it.
“It has been a week now that we are forced to use this contaminated water. We get purified water from our neighbour who has a RO but then how often can you ask others for help and anyway for washing and cleaning we have to use this water,” said 55-year-old Krishna Rani, who lives in street number 10 in Dhokha Mohalla which starts right along the nullah.
“The water is not just polluted in appearance but carries a bad stench. There are so many health issues that can result from this but we have no choice but use this water, no matter how polluted,” lamented another local 55-year-old Narinder Kaur.
Although the water has receded completely, many portions of the street are still covered under the dark sludge that had swept in with the overflowing nullah, making the residents concerned about their safety.
“The street has not been cleaned properly yet. There is sludge here and there. This season is anyway very congenial for mosquitoes and this dirt makes us even more at risk of vector borne diseases,” said Manjeet Singh.
SDO Sharma said that the sewers were cleaned and fresh samples of water were taken from the area to check contamination.
Zonal commissioner MC Neeraj Jain said, “I have instructed the concerned officials to look into and solve the problem in a day.”
