PANCHKULA, JULY 19: A technical fault in Tubewell No 10 resulted in water contaminated with machine oil flowing to some parts of Sector 16. Health Department officers detected the fault after sector residents complained that since yesterday evening water flowing from their taps has been of contaminated with oil.On receiving complaints, Health Department officers this morning took water samples from the locality and checked tubewells Nos 1, 5 and 10 whence water is supplied to the sector's residential areas. While a fault was detected at tubewell No 10, Tubewells 1 and 5 were clear.Residents said that the problem had been noticed many times before also, but it had never been so serious.They showed Newsline buckets of tap-water on which a film of oil was clearly visible; the water also smelled of oil.They claimed that the contamination resulted in stomach disorders and eye irritation. One resident, Mukesh Mittal, had to be hospitalised when he developed irritation in the eyes.Most of the complaints of stomach disorders came from Indira and Rajiv Colonies where water samples taken by the Health Department have failed many a time. As the sector has no hand-pump, residents have no other source of water.According to sources, HUDA has not been able to maintain regular checks as the job of chlorination has been given to the private contractors who are careless at times. HUDA SDO, V.K. Kalra also personally inspected the water-taps in the neighbourhood and heard the residents' complaints.
