Sirsa Health Department under fire for ignoring drinking water, sewage problems

The Public Health Department (PHED) in Sirsa is under scrutiny for its poor functioning, with residents complaining that the department’s negligence is causing daily hardships. Several areas in the city are receiving polluted drinking water, while nearly half of Sirsa regularly faces sewage overflow.

Locals allege that officials are more focused on laying water and sewage pipelines in unauthorised colonies being developed by private developers, while neglecting issues in legally approved, established areas. One such locality is Aggarwal Colony in Ward No. 3, where sewage water frequently overflows onto the streets. Despite repeated complaints, no concrete action has been taken.

“This issue has persisted throughout the year, with different streets affected by blocked sewage lines at different times,” said local resident Gaurav. He accused department officials of ignoring ground realities and closing complaints on paper to avoid accountability. “The Public Health Department has a toll-free helpline (1800-180-5678) and is required to resolve complaints within a set time. If not addressed, the case goes to the Right to Service Commission, which can hold officials accountable. To avoid this, complaints are often falsely marked as ‘resolved’,” he said.

The issue was also discussed during a recent grievance redressal committee meeting. A woman’s complaint regarding sewage overflow had been marked as resolved by the department, although the problem persisted. When questioned, officials claimed they were unable to reach her by phone. However, she later refuted the claim during the meeting, exposing the department’s false reporting.

KK Gill, Senior Engineer, PHED, admitted he had just been made aware of the situation and promised immediate action. “I will instruct the concerned Executive Engineer to address the issue and provide relief to affected residents,” he stated.

Executive Engineer (XEN) Pradeep, who assumed charge just ten days ago, said the problem is longstanding. “We held a meeting today with local residents, municipal councillors, former councillors and other citizens of the colony to address the issue,” he said.

According to XEN Pradeep, the main sewage line is outdated and over time, nearby unauthorised colonies have connected their drains to it, causing capacity overload and frequent overflows. He informed that the department had planned to build a new pumping station at an estimated cost of Rs 1 crore. However, the project was stalled due to unavailability of land.

Following the meeting, residents have assured the department they will help arrange the required land. “As soon as the land is made available, we will begin construction of the new pumping station and resolve the issue,” said Pradeep.

Local social activist Amit Soni advised residents to register complaints using the department’s toll-free number or website. “Each complaint gets a unique ID and is forwarded to the concerned Junior Engineer, SDO and XEN. If unresolved, people can escalate the matter to the Right to Service Commission through email.,” he said.

Haryana Tribune