‘Drains not covered, pose health risk in Palam Vihar’

GURUGRAM: Residents of Palam Vihar are miffed with the apathetic attitude of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) over their failure to reconstruct and cover the stormwater drain in area even after one and half a years.
The residents pointed out that the uncovered drain has created unhygienic conditions and is a health hazard for them. With the approaching rainy season, the residents fear that the situation would worsen if no immediate preventive measure is taken by the GMDA.
“It has become a breeding ground for insects and reptiles with smell emanating throughout the day, '' said Poonam Malhotra, a resident.
“I am an asthma patient and sometimes I gasp for fresh air but here the gas from the drain has made the atmosphere toxic. Even our ACs and fridge are getting frequently damaged, so imagine its adverse effect on the health of residents,” said Padmini Pande, vice-president of F block RWA.
Following the complaints from the residents, the civic authority had decided to stop the inflow of sewage and desilt into the stormwater drain, but it was not successful as the authorities were not able to identify the illegal sewage connections flowing into the drains from the unauthorised colonies, the residents claimed. “In November 2020, the GMDA awarded the contract for cleaning the drain to an agency and a portion of the drain was broken in the process. When we opposed it, the work was stopped but the reconstruction and covering of the drain has not started yet,” said BK Pande, a resident of F block.
The GMDA had covered drain through fiber sheets in some parts of E block of the colony, but the residents alleged that they are unwilling to do so in F block. “This is not a livable condition as we are forced to live with continuous unbearable stench. The GMDA needs to be serious about the matter,” said Naresh Sharma, RWA president of F block of Palam Vihar.
When contacted, a senior official of GMDA said that they are already working towards the problem but the work can only be started after the monsoon. “There is a proposal to widen the drain from Rezangla Chowk to railway culvert that goes via the Palam Vihar drain. We are in the tendering process, which will be completed within 2-3 months. After the monsoon, the work will start,” the official said.