Sewage’s dark tide hits Ludhiana’s Dhoka Mohalla in suffocating heatwave

Ludhiana: Sewage overflow from a major seasonal drain has spilled across Dhoka Mohalla residential enclave during a protracted spell of hot and dry weather, turning an arterial road into a stagnant pool of blackwater.The situation has sparked health fears ahead of the monsoon. Residents stuck in a sweltering heatwave and local officials have issued a week’s ultimatum to municipal authorities to clear the blockage or face indefinite sit-ins outside govt headquarters.Residents fear that if the drain remains blocked when the heavy rains arrive, the toxic runoff will inundate their homes, repeating the catastrophic property damage suffered in previous years. “The situation never changes,” said resident Gagandeep Singh, noting that a similar overflow in Feb had prompted a street protest outside the municipal corporation office.He said: “They promised us the situation would improve. It normalised for a few days, but now the filthy water is back. When the rains hit, it will enter our homes and destroy our belongings again.”Area councilor Arun Sharma accused municipal bureaucrats of administrative paralysis and broken promises, including a long-delayed storm-sewer project. Sharma said a single cleaning machine dispatched by the city on Wednesday had made no impact on the blockage.Sharma said: “The volume of water pushing down toward the Buddha Dariya must be regulated. This excess pressure is causing the drain to wreak havoc on multiple wards. If this is not resolved within seven days, we will launch a permanent protest outside the municipal office and the homes of the mayor and commissioner.”The flooding has also halted scheduled road maintenance in the area, claim local officials.Kamal Ram, nodal officer for the civic operations and maintenance cell, sought to downplay the crisis, promising that relief was on the way. “We are about to begin a comprehensive cleaning of the drain,” Ram said, estimating the remediation process will take 15 days to resolve the drainage issues permanently.