Water supply infrastructure at 27 out of 45 points in Indirapuram is faulty and a new sewer line needs to be installed in place of old trunk line in many areas to sustain the crumbling infrastructure of the township.
A survey studying water and sewer woes in Indirapuram has made these glaring findings on Wednesday. The survey was done by a Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA)-appointed consultancy firm studying the existing sewage, drainage and water networks of the township.
As per sources, the whole development would cost the authority around Rs 800 crore. The findings of the survey will be presented within the next three weeks to the GDA.
The survey has suggested that the old sewer line should be replaced by a new one to efficiently carry the sewerage of a continuously expanding population. “However, the new line will not cover the entire Indirapuram but only areas with maximum sewer overflow. A detailed project report (DPR) is expected to arrive in the next three weeks,” said a GDA official.
The survey also checked the water supply infrastructure at 45 points. Of which, 27 were found faulty. It has been suggested that the diameter of water pipeline should be augmented to increase the pressure allowing enough supply of Ganga Jal. Its DPR is expected to arrive in the next two weeks.
The officials confirmed this after a meeting with the consultancy firm appointed to provide DPR on augmenting water, sewer and drainage infrastructure of Indirapuram. In the meeting, GDA reviewed the status and findings of the survey. In September 2018, GDA had appointed Delhi-based Min Mec Consultancy Pvt Ltd to conduct the survey and advise on how to improve the system.
However, the survey of the drainage system is still under way. The GDA did not confirm when the survey will be completed. “We are still studying the issue of streamlining the drainage system,” said RP Singh, chief of Zone 6 (Indirapuram) in GDA.
Spread over 1,300 acres, Indirapuram was conceived in early 90s as a low population density area. However, over the years, the area has seen an exponential rise in the population. 2011 census estimated the population of the township at 1.5 lakh. In the following seven years, it was estimated to cross 2 lakhs.
Residents blame GDA and builder and their alleged nexus behind the mess. “Since 1990s, not only the population but also the size of buildings has increased exponentially. The authority has allowed more floor area ratio to builders without weighing in whether the infrastructure is competent enough to support the influx,” said Alok Kumar, president of Indirapuram-based Federation of Apartments Owners Association (FedAOA).
FedAOA has been fighting against the authority’s apathy towards water and sewer issues in Ahinsa Khand II of Indirapuram. They have filed PILs in the High Court of Allahabad and National Green Tribunal. “In our petition before the NGT, we have raised the issues of sewage and drinking water supply, which have become major problems for residents,” he said
Meanwhile, GDA officials are hopeful that the current development project would be competent enough to sustain till the next 30 years. They also said that the project is aimed to be completed by 2021.
