BENGALURU: Residents of St Michael School Road in Shantinagar have been suffering from skin infections and other illnesses as drinking water supplied to them by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has been contaminated. But the board has not been able to identify the source of the leak and contamination for the last three months.
Residents said the board promptly sends the bill every month for drinking water service, but their water taps spew smelly, black, and pale green water that collects in sumps. According to the Shantinagar Residents Welfare Association, the street has 60 residents, who are worried that they could be afflicted with some serious health issue.
The board laid new water lines for up to 300 metre on the road recently. The contractor, Shivaji NS, said BWSSB engineers and others had rectified and fixed the issue 10 days ago, but the sumps are again getting filled with smelly water from the board’s water lines.
Madhu Joshi, a senior citizen, said she spent Rs 5,000 last week for an acid wash of her 2,000-litre sump after the board told her that they had stopped dirty water from flowing in their line. But a few days later, her sump is again filled with dirty water.
The residents said they have been unable to get water tankers too as the road has been dug repeatedly, first to lay the line and then to fix the problem.
“The supply we got last week is almost over. We cannot even go out, as we have not taken a bath for the last few days,” said a woman working with a software firm. Many residents have complained of rashes and itching, while the scare of gastroenteritis looms, she added.
Vijay Kumar, a BWSSB engineer, said the board had installed a scour valve to arrest the contamination of water lines, but the issue has still remained. “We will now send a camera probe through the water line and try to fix the issue,” he said.
