WATER WATER EVERYWHERE…HOW SAFE IS IT TO DRINK?

Sunday, 10 May 2015

Come summers and city roads are filled with pyaaus (drinking water facility) to quench the thrust of the common man, who cannot afford buying a water bottle for Rs 18 – 20. There are temporary pyaaus installed with earthen pots and there are permanent ones set up by voluntary organizations and the municipal body of the city.

However, perhaps no one cares whether the water being served at the Pyaaus is pure enough to be consumed by the marginalized sections of society. And, the irony with the people who consume water from Pyaaus is that despite knowing that the water may not be pure and can put their health at risk, they continue using the facility.

“We get water continuously but it is not safe to drink. No filter is attached to the tank to clean the water. We don’t have any choice to get water from other sources,” said Vinod Kumar Sahoo, a shopkeeper at Mahaveer Chowk, Upper Bazar.

A sweet shop worker near Shaheed Chowk said that water of Pyaau is not safe enough to be consumed. “The water of Pyaaus collected from running pipelines and deep boring is unfit to drink because the water tank is not cleaned regularly, which is leading to various health disorders in the locality,” he said.

“The water supplied in Pyaaus is contaminated and unsafe for drinking. Even the basic facility like drinking water which is provided to common people is unhealthy. Access to safe drinking water is serious issue for all habitations,” said Jeet Tirkey, a rickshaw puller near Albert Ekka Chowk.

Jeevan Majumdar, owner of a Fast Food Stall said, “Pyauu is not safe for drinking purpose. Nine months on, water in the tank not yet cleaned and due to which people are suffering from various health problems.”

Interestingly, both the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) and Department of health claimed that Pyauus do not come under their jurisdiction. Director of Food Dr Praveen Chandra, when asked about the condition of Pyaaus , said, “We look after purity of packaged water but Pyaau doesn’t come under our department.” Food Safety Officer K P Singh also denied department’s involvement in maintenance and inspection of the drinking water facilities.

Notably, most of the Pyauus in the Capital City are not working properly. At few places only people are getting fresh water to drink. “Pyaaus near Firayalal Chowk is safe to consume as it has attached filters to clean the water and tank is regularly cleaned by adding bleaching powder,” Sanjeet Kumar, a student said.