After Alkapuri, it8217;s Sama

VADODARA, Dec 29: For almost two months now, sewage has been quietly seeping into these houses. And no, they do not belong to some down-a...

VADODARA, Dec 29: For almost two months now, sewage has been quietly seeping into these houses. And no, they do not belong to some down-and-out area of the city, but to Dhanushya Society in Sama, peopled by the likes of Gujarat Ecology Commission chairman Hasmukh Shah, IPCL Director finance N Chander, P D Dhumal and Rini Dhumal of M S University8217;s Faculty of Fine Arts and sundry army officers and artists.

But even more surprising than the Vadodara Municipal Corporation8217;s cold shoulder to the city8217;s leading residents8217; woes is its preference to ignore something it has been aware of virtually since the day it began. 8220;The problem begins when the VMC starts pumping at the sewage pumping station8221;, said Kanta Baria, a domestic help in the housing society. That is roughly around the peak hours, when the VMC simultaneously switches on its water supply and pumps up drainage. The sewage flows back on to the main road and inside houses.

Pushed to the wall, some residents of the 28-block society have dug channels to let the flow out again, while others have raised their drainage lines. While Vipin Mehta is only one of those who8217;s raised the drainage chamber levels by spending almost Rs 3,000, Nishit Dand, a resident of 28 Dhanushya Society, said he had no alternative to creating a channel passing through his compound wall to allow the sewage to pass out.

8220;But even today, I face a problem when I8217;m washing clothes because the moment the water is released, the drainage backflows8221;, said Baria, who works at Dand8217;s house.

At the Panchals8217;, the ground-floor toilet is perpetually choked, even though it8217;s never used. 8220;Nevertheless, the stink is unbearable8221;, says Laxmi Panchal.

When contacted, all that City Engineer B K Desai had to say was, 8220;The VMC is aware of the problem. The sewage overflows as the pressure is inadequate in the channel. The problem has cropped up ever since a gravity line was placed between Nizampura and Shastri Bridge before the monsoons8221;. Contradictions surface in the explanations as well; according to social worker Neela Shah, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation had told them the problem occurred because the drainage line was under-capacity.

Asked why it had not been repaired, Desai replied, 8220;Estimates are being worked out8221;. But there8217;s not much hope for a permanent solution; Desai said he had asked the officers concerned not to operate the pumps while water was being supplied.

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The cost-factor is something that has been intimated to the affected as well, said Shah, adding that if the VMC could not foot a huge bill, it could at least plan a short-term solution.

Though some people like Mehta have sought a way out by spending from their own pocket, Sucheta Mehta flatly refuses to do so. 8220;Why should we have to make alternate arrangements when it8217;s the VMC8217;s responsibility to provide us amenities?8221;, she asked.

The water problem is not restricted to Sama: in Roshni, Jaldhara and Tarika societies on Gotri Road, the residents received contaminated water for the third day in a row on Tuesday.

While there have been reports that some residents had fallen ill after drinking contaminated water, in-charge additional city engineer B S Trapasia said the Vadodara Municipal Corporation had detected a leak in two individual water connections and that the fault was being corrected.