The denizens of Hazaribagh town are forced to drink muddy and polluted water supplied through the pipelines of PHED.
The department has never checked the purity of water. In 2009-10, new water filter plant was installed by the State Government, but it has become useless nowadays.
At Hazaribagh, water is supplied from Chadawa dam and Hazaribagh lake. Both the sources have ample water. The water and sanitationdepartment supplies water of these sources to almost every corners of the town through its pipelines and towers.In some water towers, the treated water is again purified. Though such mini plants have not been installed in the premises of every water tower but the towers which cater water to a bigger part of the town are equipped with this facility.
The reason behind polluted water supply is broken pipelines. The polluted and dirty water of streets and drains enters into the pipelines. It further pollutes the supply water which reaches to the houses. Hence, the denizens are forced to use this polluted water because people have no alternative source of water.
Conscious denizens use this water after treating and purifying at home but those who cannot afford such machines have no alternative left other than to drink this polluted water. In small hotels and tea stalls this polluted water is used frequently.
By protest rallies, by presenting flowers, by presenting polluted supply water in attractive bottles and by giving dharna the denizens are continuously trying to get this problem solved. Recently, they have presented a bottle of such polluted water to the newly appointed Deputy Commissioner Sunil Kumar.
The deputy commissioner has ordered to check the purity of the water through the laboratory. Now, people are hoping that once when he gets the test report he will certainly start curative measures to give relief to the public.In rainy session this polluted water is again going to create health problems.
Dr RN Jha said that due to polluted drinking water diarrhoea, cholera, jaundice and other water borne diseases are caused and the number of patients increases in rainy season.On this issue some days ago the Executive Engineer of water and sanitation department Narmdeshwar Dwivedi had said that before rainy season the department would repair the pipelines but now the rainy season has arrived and pipelines are still getting water from the streets and drains.