The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has awarded a ₹30 lakh tender to replace a damaged 150-metre sewer line in Industrial Area, Phase I, in a move aimed at stopping recurring sewage overflow into the Sukhna Choe. The municipal corporation’s public health wing will desilt the affected section and replace the pipeline, which engineers found too heavily blocked to clear.
The damaged stretch is located near the SDM East office and runs along the slaughterhouse. According to municipal officials, the pipeline suffered severe blockages linked to the now-demolished Sanjay Colony and Colony No. 4. The obstruction has prevented the existing line from functioning effectively and contributed to sewage reaching the nearby choe.
Engineers assessed that routine clearing would not be sufficient because of the extent of the blockage. The project therefore involves removing the affected section and installing a replacement pipeline over approximately 150 metres. The tender awarded for the work is valued at ₹30 lakh.
The intervention is part of the municipal corporation’s wider effort to prevent sewage discharge into Chandigarh’s choes. Officials said all other sewage discharge points into the Sukhna Choe have been plugged. However, they also indicated that additional stretches could require strengthening or replacement in the near future, suggesting that the current work may address one damaged section rather than resolve every infrastructure weakness in the drainage network.
The sewage issue is being monitored under strict oversight by the National Green Tribunal. Preventing sewage flow into city choes remains a key focus of the tribunal’s reviews, and the matter was recently discussed at a meeting chaired by the UT chief secretary. The municipal corporation submits regular progress reports on its efforts to the UT administration.
The project places the condition of underground sewer infrastructure at the centre of the city’s pollution-control response. While plugging discharge points can stop immediate releases, the corporation’s assessment that other stretches may need strengthening or replacement indicates that the performance of the wider network remains an operational concern. The immediate work, however, is focused on the damaged line near Industrial Area, Phase I, with the stated objective of preventing further sewage overflow into the Sukhna Choe.
