Indore-like water contamination scare hits Bengaluru’s Lingarajapuram

It’s been just a week since the outbreak of the deadly water contamination in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, and many other cities are also reporting similar episodes. In Bengaluru, the country’s IT capital, sewage was found entering pipelines carrying drinking water in the KSFC locality of Lingarajapuram, posing a potential health risk to residents.

A fortnight ago, some residents, who had learned about the tragedy unfolding in Indore, reacted quickly when they found dirty, foul-smelling water coming out of decades-old pipes. They stopped using the water and contracted private tankers as an alternative source.

While some of them were still affected by water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea, it was because of their alertness and quick communication among themselves on WhatsApp that an Indore-like situation was averted. However, the residents are yet to get a permanent solution to the problem.

Also read: Indore water contamination: Guillain-Barré syndrome-like symptoms in woman?

A team from The Federal Karnataka visited Lingarajapuram, located around seven kilometres from the heart of the city towards the north-east, to witness the state of affairs and also spoke to some residents to understand how they were coping with the problem.

Children were being given polluted water

Roja, a resident of KSFC and grandmother to two children, aged seven and one, expressed her concerns, saying, “We used to give our children water supplied from the water board (Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board or BWSSB). Now, the water is polluted, and we are facing the threat of illness.”

Saying she had suffered from stomach cramps and diarrhoea for a fortnight, and although recovered after receiving treatment, the tragedy in Indore left them deeply worried. As she spoke, she also showed dark water in a bottle, saying it was coming out of the water board’s tap.

Age-old pipes not being replaced

Moses, another resident, said the water board authorities have not replaced pipes that are more than three decades old.

“Sewage water is coming into the drinking water pipes. My daughter-in-law is pregnant, and she has been suffering from diarrhoea every day. My mother had a stomachache. My daughter, who is a doctor by profession, also had a stomachache ache and I became convinced that the problem was caused by water. I came to know about the water pollution only after a suggestion was made in the WhatsApp group of the block’s residents,” he told The Federal.

Also read: Reckless urban growth under scanner as water quality of Hyderabad lakes plummets

Locals alleged that the sewage water mixes with the nearby pipeline that carries Cauvery water. Annapurna, another resident, said she had a doubt because the water entering her house’s sump had a different odour. She checked the plumbing, and when black water started coming out, she stopped using it and shifted to canned water.

She said the pipes carrying the drinking water are 30 years old, are filled with garbage, and need to be replaced.

“How can we use such water? How can we maintain our health?” she asked in a tone of complaint.

For the elderly, children or pregnant women, the situation is acute. According to Roja, when the stomachache first happened, she had thought that something was wrong with the food. But when the tap poured out black water, she became certain that it was contaminated potable water.

Residents alerted each other through WhatsApp

Fifteen days ago, the residents of the area informed each other through WhatsApp that something was wrong, as the water that was coming out of the tap was not clean.

Also read: Chennai’s drinking water crisis mirrors deeper urban failures across India

After a few days, they approached the board to complain about the issue. The board then swung into action. Supply to the affected areas was halted, and the spots where the contamination happened were identified with state-of-the-art robotic technology, following which, the repair work began.

The board also advised residents to stop using the water and to call for a tanker supply instead until the matter is resolved.

The awareness of the residents thus helped Lingarajapuram avert becoming another Bhagirathpura, the locality in Indore that witnessed mayhem with several deaths and illnesses.

Also read: Indore water contamination: Why 'cleanest city' model is under scanner

“Even if there had been a slight lapse in vigilance, many people, including children and pregnant women, would have been killed by contaminated water,” Moses said.

Tanker water is expensive

But the reliance on private tankers for water has not provided the residents withany permanent relief. The tankers have taken advantage of their plight to hike the water rates, and the people, with not many options, are forced to shell out more for both tanker and bottled water.

Roja said the water board officials inspected the problem and promised to resolve it by Friday (January 9). While repair of the pipelines was underway, drinking water was being supplied to the affected areas through the government-run ‘Sanchari Cauvery’ mobile tankers to avoid a shortage.

(The story was first published in The Federal Karnataka)