A polluted well, the sole source of drinking water for over a 100 families at Ketti Palada in the Ketti Valley is posing a serious health hazard to these residents.
Stench
The residents claim the well is supposed to be maintained by Athigaratty Panchayat, but they are left with polluted water. After the recent rain, the water turned murky and a stench emanates from the well.
R. Hariharan, a local resident, says “The well provides water to over a 100 families living near Subbiah Bharathi Nagar in Ketti Palada, and in a few surrounding settlements. The water is usually very muddy as the well is not being maintained properly. The local body is not desilting it. However, the quality of the water has deteriorated quite rapidly over the last couple of weeks”.
Another resident, Manoj Prabhakaran, says there has been a noticeable increase in the number of people who have fallen ill over the last few weeks. “All of them have similar symptoms and they all depend on the water from the well for drinking and cooking,” he says.
The residents are unsure as to what is causing the pollution in the well, but suspect that it could be due to farming activities nearby. There were very few crops being grown till recently. But after the rain, more people have started growing vegetables. The water from the fields could be getting into the well and polluting it, says another resident.
The residents have called upon the panchayat to clean the well and ensure that the water is fit for drinking.