Post the battering by heavy downpour which threw life off gear especially in the capital complex, water woes seem to be compounding the misery of the general public. It’s a case of ‘water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink’.

After reeling under flood like situation, the general public are now literally struggling for potable water. With pipelines damaged, the administration in particular the Public Health Engineering Department has pressed water tankers to provide respite. While we do understand and empathise with the immense pressure the department must be under especially given the bustling population and lack of manpower and equipment.

However, the water being provided by the PHED is hardly of the drinkable quality. In most parts, the water supplied is almost green in colour. The murky water supplied to colonies in the name of potable water is very concerning because if necessary measures are not taken then the capital region is likely to have an ‘epidemic’ of water-borne diseases. If the grapevine is to be believed, hospitals are witnessing a spike in diarrhoea and typhoid cases.

We understand that under the forces of nature, public utility services have been hard-hit but by not informing unsuspecting citizens about contaminated water is also unforgivable. The least that is expected of the department is that it must disclose the source of water which is being transported in water tankers. Simple steps like adding chlorine tablets must be carried out or at least if citizens are informed they can also take the necessary preventive steps.

Every monsoon, the state witnesses an escalation in water-borne diseases. However, most of them can be prevented if simple measures are taken. The PHED authorities must take responsibility as their actions are directly responsible for the health of tens of thousands. The government machinery is already struggling to bring back normalcy and a self-made epidemic is something which must be averted at all costs.

 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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