Delhi wants to connect all its unauthorised colonies to its sewer network. Photo: Vikas Choudhary/CSE
Governance

Unconnected Delhi, unsafe Delhi

Despite national capital’s push to connect unauthorised colonies to sewage network, a lot remains to be desired

Vikas Choudhary

Delhi intends to connect 1,799 unauthorised colonies to the sewer network by 2028, according to its government.

However, the reality on the ground is completely different. 

But on the ground, these colonies still rely on private vacuum trucks.

As can be seen in these photos, many unauthorised colonies in the national capital still lack sewer connections and fall back upon septic tanks.

Once these tanks are full, they have to be emptied by privately operated vacuum trucks.

The spectre of something like the recent tragedy in Indore hangs over Delhi too, as its sewage system is highly unsafe.

This raises the risk of untreated sewage flowing into the Yamuna river or worse getting mixed with drinking water supplies, as had happened recently in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

Delhi surely faces a formidable challenge as far as making its sewage system safe is concerned.