Sir,
The Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department claims that clean drinking water in supplied to people but the reality is something different. The water supplied is totally unsafe, full of impurities even sometimes giving foul smell. There have been many cases where small snakes, poisonous insects were seen in water supply. The condition of pipes through which the water comes for domestic use are totally unsafe, rusted and leaking. A live example can be cited when seen in city locality when PHE employees were repairing a pipe which was damaged. The pipe was having two big holes from where fresh water used to flow. The employees of PHE department inserted polythene and small gunny bag strings to stop the leakage. When asked it is unhygienic and will not last long, the answer was that there’s no other alternative with them. It couldn’t be replaced with new one. But who cares?
While rich consumers are living on mineral water but what about medium and poor category consumers. Also there is no proper timing of water supply in different areas of the city with the result sometimes consumers are unable to fill for consumption.
It is high time to change damaged pipes, proper repairing as per norms and checking impurities, treating of water at main storage tanks of cities keeping in view coming summer season when poisonous snakes and insects be roaming freely. Will the top PHE authority will be kind enough to pay a thorough look to this by checking ground realities personally.
Yours etc…
Kaushal Kotwal,
SDAO retd.,
Jammu
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