New IndPress

Mangalore, Jul 1: Water water everywhere, not a drop to drink. This is the pathetic situation of the residents of Raghavendra Mutt, Gauri mutt and Jodu mutt. There is unperturbed water supply in this area but the water that comes out of taps is black and smelly and not potable.

Residents say that it is due to the restless excavation that has been taken up in the areas to lay pipelines for various reason, which has led to these problems.

Though the area corporator Kamalaksha said on Thursday that the pipeline re-laying works were in progress, the residents still complain the situation continues to be the same.

The grave problem has made Devika (name changed), resident near Raghavendra mutt to shift her home. "It was getting worse day by day. The water could not be used for cooking or bathing. People in the area are frequently prone to fever and other health problems. After my child got typhoid, I thought it was time to change," she said.

Shwetha Balachandra says that for the last one year the drinking water supplied to them has been stinky black in colour. Unable to use the water for drinking purposes, the residents as a last resort depended on packaged drinking water by paying high price.

When asked what took them so long to raise their voices, Shwetha says, "We all thought on individual basis that there was something wrong with our own tanks. Earlier, we used to receive fresh water in the morning but now it is the dirty water which comes throughout the day."

This time, the authorities have held BSNL responsible for this problem. "BSNL had dug the entire city to lay their telephone lines. The drainage pipes and the drinking water pipes must have been damaged somewhere."

Corporator assures that the whole scene will improve in a couple of days with the pipelines being relaid.