2 weeks Ago By Yagnesh Bharat Mehta
Surat: Rivulets serve a key role in carrying water out when there is heavy rain in the city or rural parts of the district. Throughout the year though, they serve as a medium to carry effluents out, causing areas along them to stink. However, residents near the rivulet in Althan, Bhatar and Bamroli areas have complaints going beyond just the stench.
They say they have to get their air-conditioners and fridges repaired every few months and to replace the chrome parts of their cars. Residents say this is due to some of the gases generated in the rivulet by effluents. "All electronics get damaged frequently at my house.
Three ACs are not working right now, and I had to get the chrome logo and grill on my car changed, as they got tarnished in just three years," said Minesh Patel, a businessman. Patel said his neighbours have similar problems and they too need to get electronics repaired frequently. The issue is common in the area and those repairing electronics often receive complaints from residents living along the rivulet.
"Malfunctions in ACs and fridges are common along these rivulets. Their internal parts get damaged at regular intervals. Comparatively, complaints are not as frequent from those living 500m away from these rivulets," said Manoj Sharma, an electronics technician.
A senior citizen, Kanu Patel, who lives around 300m away from the rivulet, said people in the area have become used to damaged electronics. "I have to get the ACs repaired in my house every four or five months. The photocopy machine in my neighbour's shop also develops frequent issues," said Patel.
A few months ago, similar issues were reported in northern parts of the city. In the Laskana area, residents living near the rivulet complained of damage to their ACs, fridges and chrome parts. Later, some commercial units were found to be discharging untreated chemical waste into the rivulets and were sealed.
GPCB officials said they frequently collect samples from these rivulets for testing. "There was no presence of any harmful chemical found, and the test results were within the permissible limits. We test for the presence of harmful chemicals in the water," said a GPCB officer.
Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) discharges treated sewage into the rivulet. "We test the treated water on a regular basis and the water quality is according to the required standards," an SMC official said. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India .
Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword ..
