I regret to inform you that, the nallah in front of our house has become a major health hazard for us and the resident staying on the main road. It seems like that the nallah beautification project is attempting to make cosmetic changes to the nallah by just covering the drain, and not actually treating the sewage water. Moreover the project is grossly mismanaged, as the sewage as increased in many parts of the drain. There are many portions of dirty stagnating water, which is a heavy breeding ground for mosquito. There have been more than 500 cases of dengue in the vicinity, the sewage is also major cause of emitting methane which is posinous for the health the residents.

The present scenario 

During a field visit, it was observed that the pungent smell of H2S (Hydrogen Sulfide)  and NH3 (Ammonia) was strongly present out of the open space of the drain left open in  front of the said premises. These gases are known for their toxicity to humans and  environment.  

The entire nallah is covered by concrete structure without any gas collection system, as a  result of which, the gases emit continuously unabated causing various health problems to  the residents. This gas can contain hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen, and  hydrogen. The odor threshold, the lowest concentration, that can be detected with the nose, for hydrogen sulfide is somewhere between .001 and .01 parts per million (ppm), an  extremely low concentration.

Consequence Analysis 

The emissions of harmful gases are well known to cause severe health diseases like  asthma, skin irritation as well as nausea. Prima facie it seems that the mixture of gases  also have CO (carbon dioxide) which is equally toxic. As these are known to be present  in the air all time, the residents would have exposed well above the threshold limit of the  gases considered safe for human exposure as prescribed by WHO, AAH and CPCB  norms. A detailed monitoring and test report is underway and results would be provided as  quantitative data for substantiating the above findings.

1) We demand a health survey of the residents living near the nallah. 

2) We demand the treatment of the sewage water as per the Delhi High Court order, and according to the norms set up by CPCB and WHO. 

3) We demand urgent action, as peoples lives and health are being affected every day. Also peoples air conditions are being damaed due to the fumes from the drain. 

4) There needs to be regular montoring of the sewage quality and the emissions from the drain, also regular de silting is required.