As Greater Noida welcomed 2024, many residents found themselves battling a foul and persistent problem instead of celebrating: overflowing sewage and erratic water supply. The situation has prompted renewed and urgent calls for intervention from the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA).
A Legacy of Neglect and Mounting Grievances
Residents of Sector Beta 1 are at the forefront of the protests. They point to a root cause: the poor maintenance of the sewage system following a repair to the main sewer line near Sector P3 approximately 15 months ago. Since that repair, they claim, a lack of consistent oversight has led to repeated incidents of sewage spilling onto roads and green areas within the sector.
The complaints reached a peak on Thursday, with numerous reports of sewer overflow flooding the GNIDA office. In a formal letter to the Authority's CEO, Harinder Bhati, the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) General Secretary of Sector Beta 1, did not mince words. The letter squarely blamed the "lack of inspections and oversight by senior members of the sewer department, including the senior manager and the manager" for the ongoing hardships faced by the community.
Collapsed Lines and Social Media Outcry
The crisis has intensified in recent weeks. The problems trace back to the collapse of the main sewer line near the Sector P3 roundabout earlier last year. The subsequent monsoon rains exacerbated the situation, causing severe sewage backflow in areas like Sector Omicron 1A. Residents of sectors Alpha and Gamma have reported facing similar nightmarish conditions.
Frustrated by the official response, citizens took to social media to amplify their plight. Navia Sharma from Sector Beta 1 reported a critical blockage in the B-20 main sewer line. Others, like Sheetal Baisoya and Devraj, described internal sector roads being perpetually drenched in muck as a daily, unacceptable sight. The water crisis compounds the misery, with resident Krishna Kumar Nair highlighting the complete lack of water supply in E-block during both afternoon and evening hours. Power cuts have further crippled the system by affecting tube wells and underground reservoirs.
Official Response and the Road Ahead
When confronted, a GNIDA official from the sewer department, Vinod Sharma, acknowledged the delays in repair work. He explained the technical challenge, stating that the sewer network is entangled with other crucial pipelines, including water supply and gas lines, making excavation and repairs a complex, slow process. However, Sharma assured that efforts are currently underway to replace specific sections of the pipeline to finally resolve the issue.
As the new year progresses, the residents of Greater Noida are waiting to see if these assurances translate into concrete action. The demand for a permanent solution to the sewage overflow and water supply issues remains their top priority, turning what should be a civic basic into a central political and administrative challenge for the GNIDA.
