Residents fume over contaminated water supply in Ludhiana
Ludhiana Municipal Corporation officials say the problem is not due to any issue in the water pipeline but because of faulty water connections
Expressing dismay over the recurring water contamination problem, residents of Bhagwan Nagar Colony in Dholewal have accused the civic body of not doing enough to prevent “seepage of sewage into potable water supply lines” in the area. Residents say they have been facing this problem for months.
Municipal Corporation officials say the problem is not due to any issue in the water pipeline but because of faulty water connections. A resident of the area said, “Even if it is due to faulty water connection, the Municipal Corporation should have it fixed.”
According to local residents, the municipal staff have been repeatedly cleaning sewage lines but even then the problem resurfaces frequently. They say the civic body staff members are not able to locate where the problem is.
Manjeet, a 37-year-old resident, termed the issue a recurring nightmare. “Every time the sewer lines overflow, dirty water gets mixed into drinking water. Due to this, people, especially children and elderly, are vulnerable to water-borne diseases,” he said.
He further noted that although municipal employees clean the sewer lines and things improve for a few days, but it is back to square one after a few days.
Echoing similar sentiments, Avinash Singh, a local shopkeeper, pointed out an additional challenge. “Not only is the water contaminated, we also face irregular and inadequate water supply. How are we supposed to manage our daily needs where the water supply is not regular? We have to rely on water tankers and bottled water. It is a financial burden that we should not have to bear,” he said.
Parminder Kaur, a homemaker, said,” Despite several complaints, the corporation is not able to trace the root cause. We can’t keep living with the fear of contaminated water every few days. The authorities need to come up with concrete measures.”
Sukhpal Singh, another resident, said, “The Municipal Corporation’s response is always the same. They clean the sewer lines but the problem resurfaces after a few days. They are clearly not putting in enough effort to ensure a lasting solution. We are suffering the consequences.”
Iqbal Singh, junior engineer of the Municipal Corporation’s operations and maintenance wing in Zone C, said his team takes quick action after receiving complaints. “We visit the site regularly whenever we receive formal complaints. The contamination isn’t due to any fault in the main supply lines. It is because of faulty water connections in some households,” Singh explained.
Regarding water crisis, he said the local administration is planning to install tubewells in the area to improve water’s quality and quantity. Tenders for this project will be floated soon, he added.