Noida residents lash out at authority for muddy water

NOIDA: As temperatures in the city touched 44 degrees Celsius on Sunday, residents of some sectors — 11, 12, 19, 20, 27 and a few more — complained of muddy and yellowish water in their houses and low pressure in the taps.

Deputy general manager of water and sewer department, Noida Authority, BM Pokhriyal said there is no shortage in Ganga water supply and the poor quality is due to a damage in a water pipeline near Sector 25.

Residents lashed out at the poor approach of the authority concerned. “I showed a sample of water collected at 8.00 am from Sector 19 to the water department staff. On Saturday, we were getting yellow water and on Sunday, it turned black. The pressure has been very low for a week. Noida Authority is taking exorbitant charges for the supply of drinking water. We are being forced to buy packaged water,” said RWA general secretary, Sector 19, RC Gupta. He blamed the authority for insufficient efforts at tackling the basic needs of residents. “It is the duty of our MLA or MP to take note of the problem,” he added.

Rajiv Garg from Sector 27 and Puneet Shukla from Sector 12 said they have faced low pressure and yellow water supply for only a few hours. Sector 11 RWA president Suresh Krishnan called for the suspension of officials concerned. “The officials said groundwater is yellow and when mixed with adequate quantity of Ganga water the colour improves,” said Garg.

“How do they expect women, children, and senior citizens to consume this water? On one hand, they showcase Noida as a role model of the urban city and on the other hand, they are unable to provide clean drinking water and air to breathe,” said Shukla.

“There is drain repair work under way in Sector 25, which may have damaged the pipeline in the area. We are checking it and will have the pipe repaired by Monday. Supply will then restore to normal,” said Pokhriyal.

However, Gupta said the problem is a result of total mismanagement. “At present, there is no valid reason for this poor quality water supply. This is just the negligence of senior officials and a large scale corruption prevailing in the department. The common people are suffering in this heat,” said Gupta.

Source : The Times of India