Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

UGD work adds to woes of road users Focus

— Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

UNTIDY: The dug-up roads were improperly covered after laying pipes at Seethammadhara North Extension in the city.

VISAKHAPATNAM: For people in several areas of the city, digging up of roads in parts and leaving them without any final topping is not only a sore sight, but a terrible source of inconvenience. A part of the road appears to be a poor cousin of the other half, with a difference in both the levels. When one drives, it calls for a cautious approach to avoid the divide though one has no escape from the dust it raises.

“It’s one month since the road has been dug up. Children are falling into the pits. Sometime back, an LKG girl sustained injuries after a fall. Autorickshaws taking children to school stop at a distance. When we ask those executing the work, their response is never satisfactory. Perhaps a raw deal is given because we are slum-dwellers,” says Leela of Mahati Colony near Madhavadhara. Woefully, there appears to be no instant solution.

The laying of 471 km of main sewer lines and 240 km of house service connections under Phase IV of underground drainage (UGD) in the city cover 48,000 households. The Rs. 244.4 crore work is taken up under the Jawaharalal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). It includes four sewage treatment plants (STPs) to be constructed at a total cost of Rs.62 crores. The total work is scheduled for completion by October 2010.

The earliest phase of UGD began in 1981 with a mere 1,600 connections. The second phase in 2001 has 13,000 households of which 2,900 remain to be connected. The third phase completed in 2006 comprises 13,000 connections, of which only 7,000 are connected. An STP combining first and third phases is coming up at the Sewage Farm at a cost of Rs.37.08 crores and is scheduled for completion by June 2009.

Compared to the earlier phases, the ongoing phase covers several localities that are in the central part of the city and stretch up to Vepagunta Junction and Simhachalam on one side and Visalakshinagar and Arilova on the other. The massive work is taken up in several phases, division by division, so as to retain road connectivity. For instance, alternate roads are taken up to allow diversion of traffic in a locality. During the entire work, the road will be dug up four times- for laying the central sewer line, to connect household on one side and then on the other side and finally to lay the road afresh. But once the total UGD system is in place, it is expected to treat 129 million litres per day (mld) of sewage and bring it to 20 mg/l biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) level and release into the sea.

“The UGD scheme is immensely beneficial to the city. After water supply, the most important component of urban civic infrastructure is proper disposal of sewerage. Thanks to the JNNURM, now the corporation can get it done by contributing 30 per cent of the total cost with 50 and 20 per cent coming from the Central and State Government respectively,” says V. Chandraiah, Superintendent Engineer (Water Works) of GVMC. It does away with septic tanks in small and medium households. Besides, when unanaerobic conditions prevail in the tanks, leaks from it will produce dangerous pathogenic bacteria polluting underground water, he explains. Since there is no need for septic tank, its vent providing an inlet and outlet for mosquitoes will be a thing of the past providing great relief.

However, it puts citizens to inconvenience, he admits and wants them to co-operate. The whole exercise of digging up a good road seems somewhat inexplicable to people. Sometimes owing to nature of work cables may get cut or water supply disrupted. As far as roads are concerned, unless the earthen layer sinks after rainy season the final laying with BT/CC is not taken up. Until nearly a year the road will not be back to its original shape. Besides, during the digging of the main sewer lines, the connecting pipes of 2 ft each are joined. Usually people want them to be filled immediately to avoid convenience. But unless the pipes are properly fitted and cured, quality can’t be ensured and should realize and co-operate, adds UGD Executive Engineer D. Raju Ramana.

It’s the contractor’s responsibility to maintain road levels during the several phases of work and any complaints in this regard could be made to the UGD wing or to the Call Centre (1913).

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