Bandipora residents being supplied muddy water
Fear outbreak of diseases, demand clean drinking water
Mir Tariq Bandipora, July 15: Residents in the municipal limits of Bandipora complained that they are not being supplied clean and hygienic water by the PHE department, leaving high risk for outbreak of water borne diseases. Residents of Bandipora's main town said that black water was pouring in from the taps. They also alleged that large quantity of sand and other particles were also pouring in from the taps. "The water is totally unfit for drinking purposes," they said.One of the resident, Malik Faheem said that the water supplied to them is muddy. "It indicates that either the sewage is getting mixed with drinking water or there is a leakage in water pipes," he said, adding, "If this can happen in an up market area where the top officials reside, the plight of the people living in the inner areas and small colonies can only be imagined".The residents said that there is every likelihood that water borne diseases may break out due to consuming of the filthy and unhygienic water supplied by the authorities. "We have taken up the matter with the concerned officials time and again, but of no avail. The officials have not even bothered to visit the area to take stock of the situation," said Mushtaq Ahmed resident of Ward No 1.He added, "We also brought the matter to the notice of the councilor. He had assured us that he will talk to the officials of the concerned department, but he too has ditched us and failed to get clean and hygienic water supplied to us".Renowned scholar and intellectual, Prof Abdul Rashid Nazki said, "People are suffering due to the callous attitude of the district officers. I fail to understand why the qualified officers have lost the responsible character in this technological period when illiterates are performing their duties honestly".The residents alleged that the local MLAs from 1996 have been misusing the funds (Rs. 8 crores), which were allotted for the construction of the filtration plant in the Bandipora. "The filtration plant is not functional and it should be probed," they said.The residents demanded that the filtration plant should be made functional so that clean and hygienic water is supplied to them.Meanwhile, the health department has advised people to boil water before using it for drinking purpose. "People should take boiled water in order to avoid falling prey to water borne diseases," said CMO Bandipora, Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Wani.He advised people not to drink direct water supplied from taps. Executive Engineer PHE, Ghulam Qadir Pinto said, "I will look into the matter. I will raise the issue with the concerned AEEs and filed staff".He said that immediate preventive measures will be taken to prevent people from landing in any sort of trouble. "We have only one filtration plant for the whole district and it is not sufficient to cater to the demands of people. We will demand setting up of few more filtration plants in the district so that pure and clean water is supplied to the people," he added.

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