Ludhiana residents still facing trouble in areas hit by Ganda Nullah

Tribune News Service

Harshraj Singh

Ludhiana, July 15

As the water level in the Buddha Nullah started receding, the swollen Ganda Nullah, which merges with the Buddha Dariya, began the process of draining out water. The polluted water has been drained from flooded areas such as Dharampura, Dhoka Mohalla, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Park and nearby low-lying regions.

But several residents are still suffering from a persistent foul smell and filth as the sewage-mixed water had infiltrated their homes. Several residents said the accumulated dirty water in their homes resulted in damage to their belongings. On Saturday, numerous residents were observed draining out the polluted water from their houses, while some others were seen disinfecting their premises.

For over a week, the seepage of black-coloured sewage-mixed chemical water from the sewerage and road gullies, caused by the swollen Ganda Nullah, had been flooding the surrounding low-lying areas. Meanwhile, officials from the MC on Saturday said the polluted water had been successfully pumped out from the affected areas.

Jagdish Kumar, a senior citizen residing in Dharampura, was actively pumping out polluted water from his house today. He expressed disappointment, stating that the foul-smelling water had accumulated in his home for the past around 10 days but no assistance was provided by the MC, local administration, or any elected representative.

He said his family did not receive even a single water bottle during the period. Additionally, many items in his house were damaged by water. Harjit Gujrati, a roadside cloth vendor, said his stock of clothes was also damaged by the polluted water in his house.

Some residents took preventive measures to avoid flooding inside their homes by constructing walls of 1-2 feet in height near the main entrances.

Meanwhile, Rajinder Kumar, a resident of the area, said his parked auto was submerged in the polluted water, causing significant damage to its engine. As a result, he was unable to earn any income for the past one week.

Pawan Kumar, a resident of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Park, said he and his family spent several days on the roof of their house due to the flooding. He narrated how their house was flooded with polluted water, causing damage to furniture, a washing machine and other belongings. They had set up a tent on the roof and stayed there but they did not receive any help from the administration. He said they ate chapatis with pickle due to the water inundating their house and street. He had to wade through the polluted water to get some drinking water. When the floodwater finally receded from the street, they cleaned their house.

“Today, we were finally able to take a bath after polluted water has been drained out of our home,” he said.

MC Commissioner Shena Aggarwal said after the water level in the Buddha Nullah started receding on Friday. the MC pumped out accumulated water from low-lying areas, including Dhoka Mohalla and Dharampura among other areas over a night.

After pumping out the water during the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, the civic body has launched an extensive cleanliness drive in few affected areas alongside the nullah, including Dhoka Mohalla, to keep residents safe from diseases. Fogging is also being done to ensure safety of the residents, she said.

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