Water contamination continues in city

While near Utkarsh Vidyalaya former Deputy Mayor Bhupendra Patel and Rekha Pancholi are fighting for the residents, in Sama BJP councillor Pradip Joshi has taken up the cause.

The corporation, on its part, adopts trial and error method whenever the problem crops up, and even in Alkapuri and in ST Colony in Gotri the method adopted few months ago continue.

Stating that there have been complaints of poiras kind of worms in potable water and a stench, she says she even took up the matter in the General Board twice but to no avail. She says the residents had attributed the problem to a newly laid water pipeline.

8220;We have been facing the problem for one month and there is only slight improvement. Potable water is provided through tankers but even in that we find poiras,8221; says Mafatbhai Brahmbhatt, a resident of Ranjan Society. He says that they can8217;t even use the filteration plant for there is no guarantee that tanker water will not contain foreign substances.

Indubhai Patel of Akashnagar 4 says that now the situation has improved, but people have fallen victim to viral fever.

Executive Engineer F Charpot, area in-charge, claims the problem has been sorted out and water samples taken on Wednesday did not show any contamination. Informing that the trial and error method is only what the VMC could adopt, he says the VMC has stopped supply to a tank in a house which was closed for months. Notices have been also served to five-odd families asking them to replace their individual pipelines.

He, however, admits that the water pipeline was cleaned as there was some problem.

Executive engineer of north zone D R Joshi refuses to buy news reports about contamination in Someshwar and nearby societies in Sama, irrespective of the fact that a BJP councillor has raised the issue.

8220;Our reports from ward offices have not shown contamination and there have been no complaints by the residents,8221; he claims. In sharp contrast, on Tuesday councillor Joshi had stated in the Board meeting that the VMC reports had indicated contamination.

As regards Wadi, executive engineer of south zone K B Jaiswal says off late there is no problem in Bavamanpura and Bakri Pole. According to him, recently there were complaints to clean storm water drains. He, too, claims that no other corporation in Gujarat has a foolproof system to detect fault.