Greater Noida’s choked drains to be cleaned by May?

Noida: Greater Noida’s issues of sewer blockages and missing manholes are set to be resolved by May, in keeping with deadlines set by officials.
Sewer lines have already been cleaned and connected with the main network in areas such as Sectors Pi 3, Delta 1 and Knowledge Park. However, 13 of the larger residential sectors remain — Alpha 1 and 2, Delta 1, 2 and 3, Beta 1 and 2, Gamma 1 and 2, Eta 1, P-3 area, Swarna Nagari and Sector 36. According to the plan, cleaning in various sectors is happening simultaneously and will take about 15-20 days to complete.
While one intermediate pumping station has been made operational in Sector Mu 1, two others will also be functional soon in Ecotech 1 and 6. Officials have also been asking residents to stop disposing sanitary waste such as pads and diapers into sewer lines as those have been found to be the main reason for choked drains.
“The aim of having a separate work circle for sewers was to prioritise this project and make all the sewers fully functional. The work is progressing at good speed despite previous mistakes pulling us back. We hope people would cooperate and wouldn’t dispose waste in sewer lines,” said Narendra Bhooshan, CEO of the Greater Noida Industrial development Authority (GNIDA).
The Authority had last month found that the persistent problem of sewers and choked drains was because the main lines that were to be plugged open after construction had remained shut since they were laid when the city was being established.
During the laying of the sewer network, plugs are created at intervals to let out toxic fumes and gases. These are sealed and supposed to be opened when the sewer line is made functional. However, none of the plugs were opened after the construction was complete, leading to choked drains and underutilised sewage treatment plants (STPs). Sanitation workers are now being sent to open the plugs manually in every sector. Also, several manholes over the sewer lines were constructed upon and needed to be relocated in many sectors.
“The sanitation staff has to go down each manhole and manually remove the plug carefully. The process takes time if we follow all safety guidelines. We are supplying the staff with all safety gear and oxygen masks. A junior engineer is always present at the site to monitor it,” Bhooshan added.