Work to cover Arun Vihar stormwater drain begins after decade-long wait, residents hold puja

NOIDA: Over decade-long wait of Arun Vihar residents to cover the stormwater drain came to an end on Thursday as the work began early morning. The open drain, which stretches for about 1.4km cutting through sectors 28, 29 and 37 in Arun Vihar, had been a bane for nearly 10,000 residents of the area who had suffered putrid stench and gaseous emissions affecting their health and damage to household equipment. Their problems were highlighted in-depth by TOI in March last year.
With the work finally beginning on Thursday, the residents rejoiced and held a small puja in the presence of ACP Rajneesh Verma, ADCP Ashutosh Dwivedi, FONRWA members and other Authority officials.

On the occasion, Vijay Rawal, the senior manager of work circle 2, Noida Authority, said the drain cover will be built using reinforced cement concrete with 40 feet high chimneys every 50 metres for passage of gaseous emissions.
“Work has begun today with the demolition of the existing boundary wall. The drain will be reconstructed followed by a concrete slab. This will be done in the cast-and-shoot method of first laying iron cast mesh over the drain and then putting concrete slabs along the 1.4km length across the three sectors. Besides, we expect 28 chimneys to be put on the drain which will help gas and airflow,” he added.
The Rs 13.84 crore work is tendered to a private company Amba Oxy Enterprises Pvt Ltd for one year but is aimed to be completed by early June this year before monsoon sets in.
Meanwhile, Arun Vihar residents rejoiced as their decade-long efforts finally yielded results. "This is the biggest accomplishment in the history of Arun Vihar. Once covered, it will be a boon for residents living close to it as well as for the entire Arun Vihar which has faced numerous health hazards and damage to household electric equipment, malfunctioning and unpleasant surroundings due to the hazardous gases and effluents from the drain,” said Kavita Jamil vice chairperson of Arun Vihar RWA (AVRWA).
Chairperson Colonel (retd) I P Singh maintained that the Noida Authority followed a long and rigorous tendering process for the project. “Covering the drain was also one of our agenda promises to the residents during the AVRWA elections in 2021. We have been consistently active and working on this issue. Today, we held a small puja at the start of the work near the drain at Vishwa Bharti Children School in Sector 28 and finally felt relaxed,” he added.