Noida: Residents of Sector 19 were left without water for nearly 24 hours from Thursday morning after a water supply pipe in the area was damaged by a contractor carrying out maintenance work. Many of them demanded the person responsible be punished, saying they had to buy packaged water for daily chores and severely ration their usage because of their “carelessness”.The supply was disrupted after a contractor punctured the water supply pipeline while digging the ground around Ganda Nalla near B block. “We complained to both the contractor and the water department but no prompt action was taken to address the issue,” said RC Gupta, president of the residents’ welfare association of Sector 19.Supply water spilled on to the roads in the sector, causing minor waterlogging.He said water supply issues were very frequent in the area. “Dirty water with low pressure and frequent disruptions have become the norm in our sector,” Gupta said, adding that the latest disruption began around 9.30am on Thursday and ended around 8.30am on Friday.Water supply is typically scheduled twice daily: between 6am and 9am and from 6pm to 9pm. However, Gupta said, in Thursday’s incident at Sector 19, the supply that was expected at 6am on Friday was delayed until 8.30am, exacerbating the inconvenience for residents.“Hundreds of residents are suffering because of one careless act. The person responsible for the negligence should be punished. Why is Sector 19 always suffering from waterlogging and drinking water issues?” said Neelu, a resident of B block.
Water from the damaged pipe leaked on the road in the sector
Anoop Ahluwalia, another resident, demanded accountability. “We have been without water for nearly 24 hours. How can this negligence be allowed?” he said.Gupta said he has written to Noida Authority officials. “Denying residents access to clean drinking water is a serious violation of our fundamental rights,” he said. RWA called for an investigation into the negligence of both the contractor and the water department to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
