After heavy downpour in the capital, the Barapullah nallah has been overflowing, resulting in several distressing issues. The stagnant, dirty water has become a breeding area for mosquitoes, which carry diseases like dengue, chikungunya, etc. This area turns into a ‘farmhouse of mosquitoes’ during monsoon.
Then there’s foul smell, which spreads to the nearby area during this season, due to the waterlogging. People cannot even stand near the place for more than a few minutes, whereas we have to live here. Such is the degrading condition of the place.
One of the main problems is the contamination of drinking water by polluted water that gets mixed with it because the pipeline for drinking water passes through the nallah. This severely affects the health of the people in this area.
There are no workers to clean the area on a regular basis. Recently, some of them came and after spraying mosquito repellent, they left. The government should get the drain cleaned and take immediate steps to curb this pollution. Also, a water purifying plant should be installed near the nallah to keep the water clean. Otherwise, the polluted water gets carried away and when released into a bigger water body like a river, pollutes it as well.
We also have space available to install such water purifying plants. But in the future, this space might not be available because of encroachment. And more the encroachment, more the pollution. So, before things get out of hand and we are unable to clean the nallah, it is better to get the work done.
All we can do is complain. We have been complaining since ages to the MLAs and government bodies. We have been constantly requesting them to clean the nallah, but no one has come forward to consider our case. No one is listening or paying heed to our grievances.
Mohammad Omar, a resident of Nizamuddin West, is a businessman and takes active interest in civic issues.
— As told to Shruti Das
