OKARA: Many areas near the government girls middle and its adjacent boys primary school in Ghaziabad have been facing sewage problem for the last 15 years in the absence of a sewerage outlet.

As a stopgap arrangement, the Municipal Corporation (MC) has developed a ‘tunnel’ in the boundary wall of a graveyard as an outlet for sewage for the densely populated low-income neighbourhood.

A year ago, drinking water pipes were also laid besides the 10-foot-wide sewerage lines in the narrow streets of the locality. But choking of these lines kept the streets submerged with sewage for days. As a temporary arrangement, the MC would clear the area through a motor pump after residents would approach it.

Residents Zainul Aabidin, Muhammad Hussain, senior journalist Abdul Waheed and many others told this correspondent that the pond adjacent to the girls and boys schools’ boundary walls remained filled with sewage round the clock due to which students faced a great deal of inconvenience while going to and coming back from schools. They said other people also faced a lot of trouble while visiting the graveyard.

They demand Deputy Commissioner Usman Ali and other officials visit the area to get first-hand knowledge of the plight of the people.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2020