Pumping station fails Dhoka Mohalla, polluted river floods streets of Ludhiana’s poor colony

Ludhiana: Residents of Dhoka Mohalla faced an unexpected deluge on Tuesday as filthy water from a nearby drain flooded the poor colony's streets despite clear skies. The overflow, triggered by a power outage at a critical pumping station that was built to protect a polluted river, highlighted longstanding infrastructure issues in the area.
The pumping station, located near Gaughat cremation ground, was constructed to divert untreated domestic wastewater from entering the Buddha Dariya. The system relies on three motors to channel water to a sewage treatment plant (STP). However, frequent power disruptions have hampered its effectiveness.
On Tuesday, the electricity supply failure caused the pumping station to stop, resulting in water's overflowing into residential streets — reminiscent of a typical flooding seen during heavy rainfall or peak monsoon. Local authorities and kar sevaks (volunteers) working with Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal on the Buddha Dariya cleaning project responded to the crisis, removing a temporary bund that was redirecting the wastewater. It took over an hour to restore normalcy.
Former municipal councillor Inder Aggarwal, who was among the first to reach the site, escalated the matter to MP Seechewal. The MP, in turn, requested additional municipal commissioner Paramdeep Singh to arrange for a generator to ensure that the pumps operate during outages. By evening, the motors were back online, and the bund was reinstated.
Speaking about the issue, MP Seechewal noted that the pumping station's load capacity was inadequate, often preventing all three motors from functioning simultaneously. He is in talks with Punjab State Power Corporation Limited's (PSPCL's) chairmain and managing director, Baldev Singh Saran, to enhance the station's power supply for preventing future disruptions.
The affected residents, meanwhile, expressed concerns about the recurring problem, at night in particular. They recounted previous instances from the rainy season when drain water had entered homes, causing them significant distress. They have called on authorities concerned to implement permanent solutions to prevent similar situation in the future.
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