Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, June 29: The residents of Kamad village in South Kashmir are being supplied unfit drinking water despite a team of doctors declaring it unhealthy for human consumption.
A team of doctors was asked to visit the area after the residents raised the issue of being supplied unfit drinking water. The alarming increase in the number of cases related to waterborne infections prompted residents to knock the doors of Deputy Commissioner.
The water samples that were lifted for the investigation were found to be unfit for human consumption. However, instead of resolving the issue the administration overruled the scientific findings and declared the water fit after conducting an on-site inspection.
Like the rest of the South Kashmir, Kamad and its adjoining areas villages including Chichripora, Chek-Kamad, Monghal, and Papaibal have been getting untreated drinking water for many years. The area gets water from at least four sources and samples of all the sources have been declared unfit by the doctors. The PHE, however, claimed that their experts found only one source contaminated and has blocked it.
Some years back, the authorities started construction work on a Water Supply Scheme near Ugjan Teng area of Kamad but failed to execute it. “After wasting crores of rupees on it, the official start to supply water to the area from a spring in Pethabugh,” a source said. The Pethabugh spring, which was also found unfit by PHE experts, is contaminated with domestic waste.
The issue of contaminated water came to fore last month when nearly 120 fell sick, prompting residents to seek the intervention of local administration. Soon a team of doctors was sent to the area who came up with shocking results.
The test conducted by the doctors is called the Coliform Count test where Most Probable Number (MPN) of the Coli is determined in the sample and water are graded accordingly, in four categories.
Water with an MPN of zero per 100 ml is excellent, one to three is satisfactory, four to ten is suspicious and greater than 10, is unsatisfactory. Out of four samples that were collected from Kamad, three had MPN greater than 180 and the fourth one has 120.
Riyaz Ahmad, Executive Engineer PHE told Excelsior that experts from their lab found the water of one of the sources contaminated and stopped supplying water from it. ” The results of rest of the two sources were good. The water supply scheme is old and has been in use for last 30-years. Earlier, the supplies were interconnected,” he said, adding that the source has been under continuous surveillance.
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