BENGALURU: 11 people have died after consuming contaminated water in North Karnataka over the last few weeks, and the state government is finding it challenging to provide clean drinking water in these villages. It has now directed the Health Department to come up with a comprehensive plan to take appropriate measures.
Seven people died at Makarabbi village in Vijayanagar district earlier this month and prior to that Kalaburagi reported two deaths. On Sunday, two more died in Vijayapura district. Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar admitted that drinking water pipelines in many villages are old and some may even have leakages leading to contamination. It is a serious issue and the government will take action, he added.
“Also, villages do not have proper sewerage and solid waste management systems. I have directed the Health Department to come up with a comprehensive plan,” he told The New Indian Express on Monday.
After the deaths at Makarabbi village, the government took action against a panchayat official and two engineers and also ordered senior IAS officer Munish Moudgil to prepare a report on reasons for the contamination and those responsible for it. Moudgil presented the report after visiting the village. Based on the findings of the report, the government will soon take action, Ravi Kumar said.
Sources said negligence of officials at the local level was one of the reasons for the contamination and situation getting aggravated. Sewage got mixed with drinking water during the water supply work, but authorities failed to act in time after one person died due to contaminated drinking water.
An expert said better coordination at the village level is key to preventing water contamination. “Officials concerned at the field level should be kept informed about water supply works, so that they can monitor water quality. In some villages, water pipelines are in the middle of the drains that were built later. A small leakage in the pipeline will lead to contamination. Sensitising officials at the village level and timely cleaning of overhead tanks should be made mandatory at all villages,” he added.