Hyderabad: Residents finally agree to new pipe

Hyderabad: Metro Water Board officials on Thursday visited Bapujinagar to meet a person who had contracted cholera recently, and found that drinking water was contaminated in four or five homes in the area.

The officials said there were proposals to replace part of the water supply line but locals had resisted the plan. But after the cholera case, residents allowed laying the pipeline. Water Board managing director  M. Dana Kishore has now asked for a 4-inch DI water line. Work began on Thursday and would be completed in three-four days, it has been revealed.

Elsewhere, the Water Board conducted thorough checks on the water quality at its source and found no contaminants. Results showed the drinking water sources were free of toxic or heavy metals. Pesticide residues were found to be below detectable limits.

Mr Kishore said the water is monitored by internal and external agencies that check the potability throughout the GHMC area without waiting for complaints. It is not restricted to any particular area.

“There is a strong system to monitor the quality of water right from the source. Daily, 1,500 samples are examined by the internal quality wing and 2,500 samples are tested for residual chlorine by the linemen of each division. Also, 1000 samples are tested for RC by external agencies and self help groups,” he said.

Meanwhile, health minister Dr C. Laxma Reddy ordered officials to attend to all cholera cases and collect samples whenever there was an alert. At a meeting with senior health officials of the epidemiology wing, said water samples must be collected and sent to Institute of Preventive Medicine for testing purposes.

Following the detection of nine cases of cholera, epidemiologists have been asked to conduct awareness camps along with the GHMC in sensitive areas. Health officials were told not to reject the cases of ‘sporadic cholera’ and take up remedial measures on a war footing, sources said.