Residents of New Friends Colony’s A Block in south Delhi have received relief after a long-standing sewer overflow problem was addressed following the intervention of Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena’s office, according to a report by Jagran – New Delhi. The Delhi Jal Board began cleaning the blocked sewer system after the Lieutenant Governor directed the concerned agencies to take immediate action.
The problem had reportedly continued despite repeated complaints from the residents’ welfare association. Residents were facing sewage water and foul odour outside their homes, with overflowing drains creating waterlogging near residential properties. The issue was particularly severe in A Block, where residents said the overflow had persisted for about a month.
The sewer network serving New Friends Colony was laid around five decades ago and has been damaged at several locations, the report said. The ageing network affects A, B, C and D Blocks, where sewer overflow is reported to occur frequently. Blocked sewer chambers cause wastewater to backflow, resulting in water accumulation outside houses.
The residents’ welfare association had approached the Delhi Jal Board, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the Chief Minister, the Lieutenant Governor, the local Member of Parliament, the MLA and the councillor over the issue. The matter was also reported by Jagran in its editions dated 7 August and 3 September.
Following the Lieutenant Governor’s intervention, a Delhi Jal Board team began sewer-cleaning work on Wednesday. The immediate work has addressed the reported blockage in A Block, providing relief to residents who had been dealing with sewage overflow and associated hygiene concerns.
Arun Jaggi, a member of the NFC Ashoka Park Residents’ Welfare Association, said the area faced sewer problems frequently and that residents of A Block had been suffering for the previous month. He thanked Jagran for repeatedly highlighting the issue.
The episode also points to the operational challenge created by older underground civic networks in established Delhi colonies. In this case, repeated complaints involved multiple agencies and public representatives before the blocked sewer chambers were cleaned. The report does not specify whether the damaged sections of the decades-old sewer line will now be replaced or whether a permanent rehabilitation plan has been approved.
For residents, the immediate next step is the completion of the cleaning work and continued monitoring of the sewer line across the affected blocks. The supplied report does not provide a timeline for structural repairs to the ageing network or details of any longer-term replacement project.
