Surat: Most families in the state carry out the annual cleaning of their homes and workplaces in the run up to Diwali. In Diamond City, cleaning and sanitation are on the year-round agenda as the assessment period for the Swachh Bharat award comes close by the end of the year. However, despite various cleaning efforts, rivulets in the city continue to stink throughout the year.The city shared first position with Indore in Swacch Bharat Abhiyan 2023.
Rivulets such as Mithi Khadi and Koyli Khadi, which pass through residential areas, have become a factor that is hampering growth around them. Rivulets crossing through the posh Althan area are also hampering growth due to the stench they cause throughout the year.
"It smells bad most of the time and is annoying. I do not stay home all day but for those living here 24 hours, it is annoying," said Amrapali Desai, a resident of Althan Bhimrad Road. The Mithi Khadi passes between the Althan and Pandesara areas and heads to Khajod before merging into the Mindhola and the Arabian Sea estuary.
Around 5km from Althan, in Bhathena, residents have a similar complaint about Koyli Khadi. "The smell is round-the-clock and due to it everyone feels it is a waste dumping site. Due to the stinking rivulet, people from nearby areas dump their waste on the bridge and into the rivulet as well," said Sita Parmar, a Bhathena resident.
The stink is causing issues not only for residents but also real estate developers. "In residential or commercial projects alongside the rivulets, the regular stink is a year-round complaint. A solution to this is needed so that development happens quickly," said Anup Desai, a developer.
Not only treated sewage but treated industrial effluent is also released into these rivulets from within the city and outside city limits. Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) and Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) officials say that they regularly carry out tests on water from sewage treatment plants and the rivulets. The water quality is within the permissible limits.
"We regularly test the treated water released from sewage treatment plants. The water quality is according to the prescribed norms and it is not hazardous," said an SMC official.
GPCB collects samples from sewage treatment plants and rivulets as well. "At regular intervals, we collect samples from rivulets and test for hazardous effluents. But the results are within the permissible limits. We also collect samples from the sewage treatment plant and it is also within permissible limits," a GPCB official said.