How safe is our water? Creaky pipes pose a health risk to dwellers in SCB

Secunderabad: Decade-old, rusted, and leaking water distribution pipelines may lead to water shortage and contamination of drinking water this summer season in Secunderabad Cantonment limits. For instance, a few wards, especially wards 2 and 5, and a few colonies of ward 1 and 6 are already receiving contaminated drinking water.

Locals pointed out that last year due to polluted water, many of them were hospitalized, if the old pipelines are not changed, then the same situation will occur even this year. In Cantonment limits, almost all the pipelines are a decade old, and till date, no new pipeline has not been laid, and in many colonies, they are damaged, due to which leakage occurs. In many areas, there exists a lack of an integrated drainage network, and there is a continuous overflow of sewage water, which is getting mixed with drinking water. The areas include Bowenpally, Rasoolpura, and Mudfort.

A high occurrence of contamination is due to old, leakage prone pipelines, said local residents. "Let it be in ward 1 or 2, many lanes over here have turned into a cesspool due to the leakage of the drinking water pipeline. Due to negligence of SCB for not laying new pipelines, drinking water is getting mixed with sewage water, as a result of which water becomes undrinkable. If this continues, then many areas will be facing acute water scarcity very soon," said Vijay Rao, a resident of SCB.

"Water supply over here is erratic as we are receiving water supply for less than 30 minutes once in six days, and we cannot fetch even five pots of water from the common pipeline and in our entire colony, there is no individual tap connection for drinking water. SCB officials have planned to lay a new pipeline, but that work seems to be only on paper, he added.

"Monitoring of water supply is very important, but in SCB, it is unfortunately not happening, last year, many water-borne diseases were reported in our area and presently, for the past several days, we have been receiving contaminated water. The water is neither potable nor can be used for domestic purposes. As a result, we are forced to buy water cans. It seems that SCB officials are not concerned about the local's health. We are vexed by complaining to the concerned officials regarding this perennial issue, and they only say that it is not contaminated water, only muddy water," said another local.