Only 12,750 houses have sewerage connections in Shimla and 29,000 houses with water connections, the Himachal Pradesh government today told the Assembly.
Raising the issue, BJP MLA Suresh Bharadwaj asked the minister during the Question Hour that whether the households without sewerage connection were disposing the sewage in the open.
He said the government must ensure sewerage connections in every house in Shimla so as to avoid outbreak of jaundice and other water-borne diseases in future.
Replying to a question of Bhardwaj, Urban Development minister Sudhir Sharma said that the houses, which are not connected to any sewer line, have their own septic tanks and the government would try to connect more houses with the line.
Sharma said however a recent survey revealed that some houses in Krishnangar and Ruldubhatta area were disposing sewage in the open and the government would consider a cluster base approach to facilitate more sewerage connectivity in the city.
The government would look into the issue of sewerage tax being charged from the households in water bills, despite having no sewer connectivity, Sharma said.
Shimla is in middle of a jaundice outbreak.
