Hyderabad: Residents of Bagh Amberpet Road No. 15 have complained that the drinking water supplied to them is contaminated and they are left with no option but to purchase bottled water.
With delays and excuses from authorities, the issue now remains unresolved for almost four months. Despite the HMWS&SB general manager’s visit to the place on Monday morning, the real cause of the issue could not be ascertained.
Rakesh Gopikar, a resident, told Deccan Chronicle, “We do not know what exactly has happened. We suspect that the drainage line, which is around 40 years old, is getting mixed with the water pipeline. In the mornings, for the first 30 minutes only drainage water comes through the tap. Slightly cleaner water comes for some time. It turns worse at night when what we get is only foul-smelling water.”
Efforts by the residents to reach out to the authorities ended up as futile exercises.
“Our MLA, Kaleru Venkatesh, had promised to build new roads and a new drainage line during the 2023 Assembly elections. Now when we spoke to him, he said that no repair works can be taken up right now as the election code is in force. Our corporator Padma Venkat Reddy came up with the same reason,” Gopikar said.
With the lane constituting almost 50 houses, many children and adults have suffered severe body rashes.
Another resident Venkatesh said “I and my wife have suffered severe body rashes. The water smells very bad. We went to a government hospital opposite to our lane, where the doctor suggested we stop drinking that water. Ever since then, we have been buying water bottles. The authorities appear unbothered about our well-being.”
Construction for a new pipeline had begun in the area last October. While the water from the pipeline is supplied to another lane, the pipeline starts from road no. 15.
Paverala Anand, from the same lane, said, “Officials are saying that it is the drainage line that is causing the problem; but it is not. When the new pipeline was being constructed, we thought it was for our lane only to be told later it was for the other lane. Besides, those involved in the construction work have been digging right beside the manhole.”
Another resident Vishweshwar Rao said, “We have no other option but to wait for the officials to come and survey the area again.”
