Sarthak Kanjilal
Port Blair, Mar 16: Hopeful of better services after inclusion in the city limits, residents of six newly created Municipal Wards are now venting ire against the civic body for its failure to address water concerns in their areas.
According to reports, dirty water supplied by the Municipal Council to households in all the six Wards have become a cause of grave concern for the population. Left with no other option but to consume the polluted water, swell in vector-borne diseases has been reported from all the six newly created Wards.
Claiming that services in the six Wards have only deteriorated since inclusion in Municipal limits, several residents of Ward no. 23, speaking to Andaman Sheekha said that the dirty water supplied to households is not even fit for bathing, leave along drinking.
“We’re having no other option than to consume this dirty water supplied through pipelines. Our children fall ill at regular intervals after consuming the contaminated water. Some people use packaged drinking water, while majority of the population in this Ward are forced to consume the water supplied by the civic body.”
“The situation was better when the newly created Municipal Wards were under the control of Panchayats. Water charges were low and fairly clean water was supplied to the households. After becoming Municipal Wards, the situation has worsened. Water charges have been increased and the quality of water supplied has deteriorated. Lack of staff in the Andaman Public Works Department is the main reason behind the situation as the existing staffs regularly pump untreated water to the households in the six Wards,” say some others.
Speaking to Andaman Sheekha, the Councillor of Ward no. 23, Mr Sanjay Meshack admitted supply of water unfit for human consumption in his constituency. “During the recently held District Planning Committee meeting, the Administration claimed that no water related issues existed in any of the Municipal Wards. But this is absolutely false propaganda. It was assured that services will improve after the areas come under city limits. But in this case, it has gone the other way. In fact the situation has got worse and residents are forced to bear with poor water services,” he said.