Water contamination threat looms as Bengaluru fights to stay healthy

Even as people fall sick due to other causes, the fear of water contamination is growing.

In the last month alone, multiple instances of water contamination have been reported across various neighborhoods.

Sources in the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) revealed that water samples from three different neighborhoods — BTM Layout, Sir MV Layout, and ISRO Layout — have been deemed unfit for consumption in the last month.

“We collect 80 to 90 samples every day and test if they are suitable for drinking. Over the last month, samples from a few areas were found to be unfit and we have alerted the officials,” a senior BWSSB official from the quality control department said.

Hospitalisations

There are also reports of hospitalisations due to the consumption of contaminated water in RMV II Stage, Rajajinagar, and other areas.

A resident of RMV II Stage explained that the water supply to the area was disrupted for close to 10 days and eventually contaminated water was supplied.

“There was a foul smell and in a matter of a few days, many of them in the area fell ill. Though we reported the incident to BWSSB, they took time to ascertain the root cause,” said a resident.

Though it was largely sewage mixing with water in some areas, some residents also reported getting muddy water.

Isolated incidents: BWSSB

BWSSB officials said these are isolated incidents, blaming them on old pipes coupled with unplanned infrastructure projects.

“There is (essentially) no problem with the water quality,” assured a senior BWSSB official. “But, in a few areas, the water and sewage pipelines are laid close to each other since the roads are narrow. In such cases, if the pipes are leaking, there is a probability of sewage mixing with the water at the joints of the pipelines.”

He said officials immediately take a look and plug the leaks when such incidents are reported. The official also said unplanned infrastructure projects damage the pipeline and result in contamination.

BWSSB Engineer-in-Chief Suresh said that they are keeping a close watch on the situation. “We have increased the number of samples to be tested to 150 and have asked the officials to keep a close watch,” he said.