EDMC plans introduction of sewer management system in JJ colonies

New Delhi : The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) has planned the introduction of a sewer management system in various JJ colonies under its jurisdiction as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, officials said on Tuesday.

The EDMC has joined hands with the NGO - Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR) for this sanitation project, they said. "In slum areas, toilets are there but no disposal arrangement for sewer, so the sludge is dumped directly into the drains, creating unhygienic conditions, hence this project," a senior EDMC official said.

He said the project proposal is awaiting some "technical approval" from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and added that it is planned to be introduced soon as part of the government's Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). The project will also see involvement of DJB and DUSIB, the official said, adding the EDMC has already been declared open defecation free earlier this year.

CFAR's Executive Director Akhila Sivadas said, "If this project is executed successfully, it will become a model project for rest of the country". "Two Jhuggi-Jhopri (JJ) colonies, Sunlight Colony and Gram Kheda are part of it, where we will be working. The sanitation condition in these two places are horrible," she said.

Sivadas claimed that this was a "first of its kind" intervention in such colonies in urban areas in the country. A community engagement event was organised by CFAR here on Tuesday which was attended by representatives of some of the urban local bodies in Kolkata, Jaipur and Delhi.