Water contaminated again

The Bholakpur tragedy will happen again if things are not attended to immediately. Residents of Bholakpur, falling under Musheerabad Police limits have been receiving contaminated tap water again.

The water supplied is brown or yellowish, muddy and also stinks. It cannot even be used for washing. After the tragedy that killed 16 and left several ill, the government had ordered completely new infrastructure. Despite this, the water supply is contaminated. Many pictures have been sent to the Water Board, but the supply remains the same. The problem is more in Indranagar venture II, Gulshan Nagar and Siddiqu Nagar. “Even after six years of this incident some basthi of Bholakpur still receive contaminated water and this happens when the sewerage lines are full. In 2009 Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy sanctioned a special grant of `12 crore for replacement of pipelines. But the authorities did not spend the full amount. No further work was done on infrastructure,” said Mr Mallesh Babu, a resident of Indranagar.

But the water board records shows that the authorities have spent close to `2 crore on infrastructure. “Firstly, we don’t receive water every day. The water is at times brown or yellow and insoluble particles are clearly visible. We cannot use it for even washing,” added Mohd Naseer Khan, a resident.

Despite the arrest of five officials, this silence of the water board indicates that the water board officials are waiting for another 'Bholakpur'.

Mr D. Ramchandra Reddy, GM said, “There were contamination issues at Gulshan Nagar. However, it was resolved. Indra Nagar is apparently a safer area when compared to other areas of Bholakpur. A team will monitor the problem on Thursday.”