The Times of India  14.09.2010

HUDA digs up new plan to clean up bad sewage system

GURGAON: This should smell good. Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) has finally worked out a plan to solve the sewage mess in Gurgaon.

It will develop a sector-wise sewage system for the entire city that will settle the long-pending problem for good. Senior HUDA official claim that the new plan will overhaul the entire sewage system. The system will link all the sectors to the main sewage lines.

Simultaneously, work on old sewage lines will be carried out in all sectors. The work has already started in sectors like 14, 21, 22, 23 and 53.

The city generates over 100 million litres of sewage daily, which is handled by a complex maze of 100 km sewage lines. But the sewage lines run through just some patches of the city and many places like DLF Phase V and Vatika City have no access to the main sewage lines.

Residents in many colonies have no option but to get sewage collected on their own. We have to arrange private tankers to collect sewage from the colonies for last several years, because HUDA has not connected the main sewage line to all sectors, said Sanjay Malik, a Gurgaon resident.

In fact, several colonies like Sushant Lok II & III, Sun City, DLF Phase I, DLF Phase V, Ardee City and Nirvana City, rely on private tankers for collection and cleaning of sewage daily. The appalling situation of sewage is due to HUDAs myopic planning, which dates back to early nineties. Old sewage lines were never used so now they are choked.

The old blockages in old lines are being cleared and this work will be complete by next month, claimed a HUDA official. But residents claim new sewage lines or unclogging old lines would be a job-half done. HUDA's Behrampur STP is not fully functional because of a court case and this has blocked sewage lines connectivity to all colonies located on Sohna and Golf Course road.

HUDA official claim the work of linking sewage lines of housing complexes on Sohna road with the main sewage line to Behrampur plan will be over by September.