New Delhi: For
two months, residents of NCERT Colony kept approaching authorities with
complaints of contaminated water, but no action was taken. The
authorities took notice only after two residents died and 70 fell ill.
On
Sunday, four-year-old Sanjana was declared dead at Safdarjung Hospital.
Since then, several residents have fallen ill. The Delhi Jal Board
(DJB) and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) are, meanwhile,
blaming each other for the contaminated water.
Residents
claimed that the problem of contaminated water from the underground
reservoir surfaced two months ago. Despite writing to the CPWD and the
DJB and informing NCERT authorities, nothing was done to rectify the
problem, they said.
According to residents,
reports of the two deaths made authorities send workers to clean the
tanks and lay new pipes. When the pipes were being replaced, residents
claimed they saw insects, lizards and muddy water in the old pipes.
NCERT
spokesperson Hemant Kumar said, "CPWD is entrusted with the job of
distribution of water, cleaning and maintenance of pipelines within this
residential complex and they have failed to do their job."
Senior
CPWD officials said a committee had been set up to probe the incident
and a report would be submitted within two days. The CPWD has taken
samples from the underground reservoir to which the DJB supplies water
and also from the distribution tank that supplies water to the housing
block.
"Prima facie, it seems that a DJB sewer
line on the main road was clogged. The possible backflow could have led
to contamination of water. We will know more once the samples are tested
and the inquiry report is in," a senior CPWD official said.
Doctors at the hospital, where residents were admitted and administered treatment, declined comment.
A
K Khuddi, administrative officer of the National University of
Educational Planning and Administration which is on the NCERT campus,
sent a complaint to the DJB on June 11: "For the past one month, yellow
water is being supplied in the campus because of which officials and
employees are falling ill."
On Tuesday, the
administration wrote to the DJB: "Subsequent to the June 11 letter, the
DJB sent two officials to check the water on June 14. They found the
water contaminated… there has been no development on the supply of
clean water… Two persons residing on the campus have died and several
others are admitted across hospitals. This has become a life-threatening
situation."