Lahore: 'Duban Pura' town on Multan Road indeed sunk in sewage

[Naveed Yaseen]

* Residents say they have been suffering for years due to lack of sewage disposal system, govt made no efforts to address issue
* Duban Pura resident Mehtab says drinking water unhygienic due to mixing of sewage and water pipes

By Ali Usman
LAHORE: Duban Pura, a locality on Multan Road, lacks the basic facilities of a functional sewerage system that has caused a lot of problems for the local residents.

Recently, the town came into limelight when water from sewage lines polluted houses in the locality and the residents were forced to more around their house in the midst of the dirty water, making them vulnerable to many diseases. The City District Government Lahore’s (CDGL) high officials visited the area and a water-pumping vehicle was sent to clean the sewage water, but all efforts so far have been in vain.

Suffering: Duban Pura residents told Daily Times they had been suffering for years because of the lack of a proper sewerage system and the government had made no concrete efforts to address the issue.

Duban Pura is a non-planned locality and does not come under the Lahore Development Authority (LDA). The local is comprised of over 1,000 houses and most of the residents are from the working class. The locality has no gas supply and the electricity network has not been developed properly either. Duban Pura residents say a new electricity connection costs them Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 as the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) only installed the connection and the residents have to buy the electricity wires themselves. The electricity lines are running without the support of any poles for as long as two to three kilometres on some of the roads. This is a hazard waiting to happen, because the Duban Pura residents have tied the wires with ropes at places to provide support and this can cause short-circuiting at any time. The people said despite all the problems that they were facing, their top priority was to find a solution to the sewerage problem and have access to hygienic drinking water.

Mehtab, a local resident, said the locale was around 10 to 14 feet lower than the main road and the sewerage system could not work due to it. He said every second day, sewage water entered their homes and caused great problems for them. Mehtab said the people had protested against it many times but the city government had ignored their pleas.

Mixed: He said the sewerage lines had gotten mixed with the clean water source of the area and was not suitable for drinking anymore. Mehtab said their neighbourhood was also heavily infested with mosquitoes and the area had not been fumigated so far.

Duban Pura is located near Awan Town, which is a well-planned and developed locality. Marghazar, another nearby locale is also well maintained. The value of property in the area is quite high, where a marla in Duban Pura costs between Rs 200,000 and Rs 300,000.

When Daily Times contacted Lahore District Coordination Officer (DCO) Sajjad Ahmed Bhutta, he said the Duban Pura locality was developed on privately owned land and was one of the many unplanned localities in Lahore. Bhutta said, “We will do something about it in the next Annual Development Programme (ADP)”.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg13_9