After much hue and cry, sewerage board experts have stated that the Rs 97-lakh Janakpuri storm sewer project was not needed at all. The experts said high berms constructed by residents in every street lead to the accumulation of rainwater,which would have otherwise followed its natural course to the drain. Inaugurated in November 2006,the project was aborted after spending Rs 22 lakh as it was found that the water would fall directly into the Buddha Nallah,thereby violating the pollution norms. Since then,the project has been stalled while Rs 65 lakh is still lying with the sewerage board. J S Bhattal,superintending engineer (SE) of sewerage board said,We have sent a few queries to the Chandigarh office and I am hopeful that the work will resume in the next three months. We will complete the work in the Rs 65-lakh budget. According to the new design,water will be routed through the Field Ganj Nallah. Bhattal said,No sewer water will flow from storm sewer and hence only rainwater will be routed through the Field Ganj Nallah. The officials said that in the next monsoons,no water logging problem will be faced. It needs to be mentioned that even with a mild rainfall,the area gets up to three feet water. Lack of cleanliness of the existing sewer lines and change in level of main roads with streets is also another reason for this,said the experts.
