Dwarka fears gastro outbreak

Vidya Menon / TNN / Mar 19, 2006, 00:21 IST

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The colony, with about 150 families, has been receiving contaminated water for the past four months.

NEW DELHI: Ever since cases of gastroenteritis have surfaced in Mumbai, the residents of DDA SFS flats, Pocket-I, Sector-19 in Dwarka, have been a worried lot. For, it's just a matter of time before they meet a similar fate.
The colony, with about 150 families, has been receiving contaminated water for the past four months. The problem has been brought to the notice of the authorities, but in vain.
"When laying sewer lines, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) missed out about 20 meters.The dirt is now flowing out into the open and entering water pipelines. We have approached the DDA innumerable times, but nothing has come out of it," said Mahesh Kumar, member, Pocket-1 RWA.
"So many people, especially children, have fallen ill after drinking this water. We have spent a lot of money on medicines in the past few months," said Gulshan Rajput, a resident of the colony.

The supply is so contaminated that people now buy mineral water for cooking and drinking purposes. "The water stinks, literally. When you open the tap, you'll feel you are near a sewer," said Anjali, a housewife.
"I wouldn't want to use that water even in the bathroom, but how many buckets can I carry to my second-floor residence?" she asked.
"I have never used water purifiers since I don't want to be ultra-sensitive to anything. But the water here is so bad that I went ahead and bought one recently. Now I use mineral water even to gargle," explained Praveen, a resident.

So why aren't the authorities responding to the problem? "They always promise a solution but never deliver one. If we trouble them too much, they'll send somebody to clean the sewers.
But that brings only temporary relief. Once the drains overflow, the dirt enters the pipeline again," said Manoj Kumar Sharma, said another resident.
S K Sharma, executive engineer, DDA, explained: "There is some problem with the pipeline. We had solved the problem once, but it has recurred. Replacing the entire line is the only way out and that is being looked into.
It will take some time." S S Bhalla, executive engineer (WD XII), DDA, agreed: "The sewers are being cleaned. The problem will hopefully be solved in another four-five days."
"Once the sewers are cleaned and the blockage is removed, we will spot the source of leakage in the water pipeline. That'll be fixed then," added Sharma.

About the Author

Vidya Menon

A deskie, she finds copy errors particularly pesky. Hobbies include reading and making grand plans that are never executed. Hates physics, but loves metaphysics.

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