Rusted pipes spread horror

Hyderabad: Complaints of water pollution are pouring in from various parts of the old city after incessant rains. People are apprehensive of using the contaminated ‘drinking water’ for fear of falling ill.

Residents expressed their annoyance against officials of the HMWS&SB for the delay in taking up permanent rectification work citing budget constraints. The situation is more or less similar across the older parts of the city including Bahadurpura, Chandulal Baradari, Falaknuma, Azampura, Sultan Shahi, Rikabgunj and Charminar.

A housewife, Masrathunnisa Begum, from Kishanbagh lamented that the authorities had failed to arrange a new pipeline despite being aware that the drinking water supply line passed through a drain.

“Whenever it rains and sewerage lines get filled with rain and drain water, the water seeps into the drinking water lines. When the board officials release the water, the dirty water is supplied for at least half an hour,” she complained. The woman said that several pockets of Chirag Ali Nagar in Kishanbagh were facing similar problems.

Local residents said the board officials had planned to lay a new drinking water supply line, but despite the problem occurring for the second time after Ramzan, not much has been done.

Similar complaints have poured in from the Doodh Bowli area, where Yadaiah, a local resident pointed out that they faced problems when the sewerage lines in the area got choked. “Whenever it happens, the household receives polluted water. Only when the chocked lines are cleared the water pollution problem subsides,” he explained.

At Rikabgunj, in the Charminar area, the residents complained about supply of polluted water for 20 minutes whenever the water was supplied by the board. “Occasionally, we face this problem and the board officials come and rectify it. There needs to be a permanent solution to it,” Syed Babu, a resident said.

At Chandulal Baradari and Bilalnagar, the residents have been facing the polluted water problem for the last one year. “After the intervention of the local legislator the officials came and prepared some proposals for replacing the old water supply lines. Again, the problem has started after the recent rains. Only for two or three months last year did we get some relief,” complained Mohammed Mohsin, a resident of Chandulal Baradari.

A woman, Syeda Ghousia, from Azampura complained that the families were forced to get purified water from private suppliers for fear of falling ill. More complaints have also poured in from areas of Falaknuma, Aliabad, Sultanshahi and other areas of the old city.