01-05-2021 The Asian Independent

8 01-05-2021 to 15-05-2021 NEWS
www.theasianindependent.co.uk
Severn Trent needs your help to keep sewers flowing
Severn Trent is appealing to
its customers in Walsall and
Wolverhampton to help prevent
local sewers from becoming
blockedand cause flooding.
Last year alone the water and
waste company cleared around
4,700 sewer blockages in
theWalsall and Wolverhampton
area. Three quarters of these
blockages were caused by the
wrong items being put down
sinks and drains.
What causes a blockage?
There are a few different reasons
why blockages occur, but
they're most often caused by
leftover cooking fats and oils
poured down the kitchen sink, or
by items such as wet wipes and
sanitary products being flushed
down the toilet. These items
stick together and over time they
build up and block pipes and
drains.
Our drains and sewers are
only designed to carry human
waste, wastewater and loo roll
from your toilets and the used
water from your sinks, baths and
showers. You should put anything
else, including wet wipes,
nappies or sanitary products, in
the bin.
Looking after community -
We need your help to prevent
local sewers from becoming
blocked
Clogged drains or a loo you
can't flush should be the least of
your worries, but blockages
don't just cause a problem for
you, they can also cause issues
for your neighbours too.
Keeping your drains clear is
key to avoiding nasty blockages
and sewer flooding in your area.
As well as following our easy
to follow tips, we recommend
you share our easy to follow
guides with friends, family or
neighbours who may not be
aware.
We have downloadable information
available at
stwater.co.uk/blockages
How to avoid a blockage?
There are some really easy
actions you can take every day
to help protect your drains and
keep the sewers flowing for
everyone.
Top tips for the kitchen
- Scrape pots, pans and plates
into the bin before washing
up
- Use kitchen roll to wipe
down grease from pans and
plates
- Use a strainer in your
kitchen sink
- Collect used oil, fat and
grease in a container and
throw it in the bin
Top tips for the bathroom
- Only ever flush pee, poo and
toilet paper.
- Bag sanitary towels and tampons
then bin them
- Bin wipes to avoid blocked
drains
- Use a bin for unflushables
such as nappies, razors, cotton
buds and dental floss
Grant Mitchell from
Severn Trent explains:
"Clogged drains and burst pipes
should be the very last thing our
customers need to be worrying
about at the moment, which is
why we're encouraging everyone
to take a few small steps
to avoid any unnecessary
issues. We know just how
important water is and we
want to reassure our customers
across the county that we're
here to help, but we would
really appreciate their support
too.
"It's easy to assume that the
warm grease and fat left over
from cooking would be ok to
put down the sink, as long as
you wash it down with a lot of
hot soapy water. But the reality
is that fats and greases cool
and solidify quite quickly once
in the pipes, often leading to a
serious blockage which can be
costly to fix and can cause a
big mess. It's much better to
pour any leftover fat, oil, or
grease into a container to cool
before disposing of it in the bin.
Grant added: "Many customers
may not realise that they
are responsible for the waste
pipe running away from their
home up until it either crosses
the property boundary or meets
with another waste pipe or
sewer. It doesn't take much to
cause a blockage and unblocking
or repairing this section of
pipe can be costly, but it's completely
avoidable if you're careful
about what you put down
your drains and bin any unflushables.
"Anyone who has suffered
with sewer flooding will tell you
that it's very distressing,
unpleasant and costly. But with
a few small changes to our daily
routine, we can all make a difference
and keep the sewers of
Walsall and Wolverhampton
flowing."
If you do run into problems,
either slow drains or a blocked
sewer which is Severn Trent's
responsibility you can report it
at www.stwater.co.uk or by calling
0800 783 4444.
To find out more about how
to avoiding blockages visit:
stwater.co.uk/blockages
16 killed in fire at Bharuch
Covid hospital, probe ordered
Gandhinagar : At least 16
Covid-19 patients died due a
fire at a Covid designated hospital
in Bharuch district on
Saturday morning. Over 50-60
patients were admitted in the
Patel Welfare Hospital when
the fire broke out in the ICU
ward at midnight. The fire
officers have said that the hospital
did not have an NOC for
fire.
The fire erupted in the middle
of the night in the designated
Covid hospital on the
Bharuch-Jambusar highway,
around 190 km from the state
capital Ahmedabad. The exact
cause of the fire is yet to be
ascertained, according to the
officials.
It is believed that around
16, including 14 Covid critical
patients admitted in the
Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
were charred to death in the
fire caused most probably by a
leaking oxygen cylinder. But
there has been no confirmation
on that.
The fire was controlled
within an hour and around 50
patients were rescued and
shifted to nearby hospitals,
according to sources.
It is learnt that the hospital
building did not have a No
Objection Certificate (NOC)
mandatory to be obtained from
the fire department. "The hospital's
another building has got
the NOC from the fire department,
but this building did not
have an NOC," said Deepak
Makhija, the Bharuch regional
fire officer.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Chief
Minister Vijay Rupani has
expressed condolences and
announced Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia
to the kin of the deceased. The
CM has also ordered an
inquiry into the incident.
"I express my condolences
to those who lost their lives in
the fire at Bharuch Hospital.
The state government will provide
assistance of Rs 4 lakh to
the families of each of the victims
of the accident," Rupani
said.
The CM has appointed two
IAS officials, the labour and
employment department,
Additional Chief Secretary
ACS Vipul Mitra and
Commissioner Municipalities
Administration, RajKumar
Beniwal to probe the incident.
Both the officials have been
immediately sent to the place.
The CM said that the government
is also thinking of
appointing a judicial probe
into the incident.
Model claims Rs. 579cr in
damages from Ronaldo
London : Former model
Kathryn Mayorga, who had
accused footballer Cristiano
Ronaldo of rape in 2009, is
claiming £56 million (Rs 579
crore) in damages.
"She wants £18m for 'past
pain and suffering', £18m for
'future pain and suffering' and
£18m in punitive damages. The
37-year-old's expenses rack up
to £1.4m with legal fees of
£1.1m giving a total of £56.5m
- equal to two years of the
Juventus star's salary," said a
report in mirror.co.uk.
The former model had
accused the Portuguese football
star of raping her. The alleged
rape was said to have happened
in a Las Vegas hotel room in
2009 after their meeting in a
nightclub.
Ronaldo had strongly denied
the allegations back then saying,
"I firmly deny the accusation
being issued against me.
Rape is an abominable crime
that goes against everything I
am and believe in."
Mayorga had accepted
£270,000 as part of an out-ofcourt
settlement in 2010.
However, she revived the
case three years ago saying she
had been "mentally incapacitated"
when she agreed to sign the
settlement under duress.
The report added, "Her legal
team has filed a list of more
than 60 witnesses they want to
testify. They include British
former Big Brother star
Jasmine Lennard, 35, who
claims she dated the former
Manchester United ace 10
years ago."