Stench from a drain running through Sector 41, Noida, has made the lives of residents miserable. The partially covered drain passes right through the residential area.
According to ID Sharma, general secretary of the RWA, residents are even contemplating renting out their homes and shifting to other sectors.
Noida Authority had covered only part of the drain three years ago. The part in Blocks F and H are open, giving out toxic fumes.
President of the RWA, Anil Khanna, said, “We have been urging Authority officials to cover the remaining portion, but all our pleas have fallen on deaf ears.”
In addition to this, people from the neighbouring Agahpur village have turned the drain into a dumping ground for waste, blocking the flow of sewage.
The Noida Authority laboratory has found that the drain water emits methane gas, which is not only hazardous to humans but also damaging to electrical appliances, such as air-conditioners and refrigerators. Sharma said the methane gas corrodes the copper wires in them.
The RWA has lodged a complaint with the Authority and appealed for immediate measures. Residents, too, have made several representations to the project engineer. But nothing has been done so far.
MK Sharma, an engineer with the Authority, admitted to City Spidey that there is no plan to cover the open part of the drain, as it would make it difficult to carry out sanitation work.
On the other hand, however, Project Engineer of Health Department, BM Pokhariyal, said his department is in the process of floating fresh tenders for cleaning the drain.
Though this might bring temporary relief to residents, what is the long-term solution?
