Jaipur: As Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) continues cleaning manholes, drains and sewer lines during monsoon, the sludge removed from them is often left on roadsides for days, leaving residents to deal with foul smell, unhygienic conditions and inconvenience. While major drains have already been cleaned, work on the city’s drainage network is still under way, although such operations are to be completed before monsoon arrives.
Rain water Logging near Khasha Kothi
At Kartarpura Nala, sewer sludge remained on the roadside for several days before it was cleared Tuesday following complaints from locals. On the same day, sludge removed from manholes near Maharani Farm Pulia was also left at the site after the cleaning operation.Suresh Banethiya, a resident, said, “Cleaning the drains is important, but leaving the waste on the roadside for days defeats the purpose. During rains, it starts stinking and people pass through the filth every day.”Another resident, Reena Mahawar, said, “After a day or two, people start treating these piles as open dumping spots, household waste gets mixed with the sewer sludge, making the area even dirtier.”JMC officials said that drain and sewer cleaning is carried out through contractors, but the responsibility of lifting the sludge lies with the civic body. The sludge cannot be transported immediately because it contains a large amount of water, and the corporation currently does not have fully sealed loading vehicles capable of carrying wet sludge without leakage, officials said.An Executive Engineer (Garage) of JMC said, “The sludge is left at the site to dry because transporting it immediately could lead to spillage on the roads, creating unhygienic conditions and inconvenience for commuters. Once it dries, it can be transported more safely.”He added, “Another challenge is that during the drying period, residents often dump household waste on top of the sludge heaps. This mixes municipal waste with sewer sludge, making collection and disposal more difficult and time-consuming. We are trying to remove the dried sludge as quickly as possible, but public cooperation is equally important.”However, residents are asking whether JMC should invest in sealed vehicles for transporting wet sludge so that roads do not have to serve as temporary dumping sites after every cleaning operation.
