After 5 deaths, officials admit filtration unit not cleaned for 5 years

The man who died on Friday was Janakaraj, a guest lecturer at a government engineering college. He was unmarried and had been taking care of his ailing 65-year-old mother.

Speaking to The Sunday Express, his sister Mahalakshmi said: “We left for Bengaluru last Friday as my son was taking the UPSC examination. On Monday when we returned, my brother was already admitted in a hospital battling for his life. Last Saturday, after he had breakfast, he complained of vomiting and diarrhea. It went on for more than 24 hours, after which he was admitted… Even now, we are getting brown-coloured water and we boil it before we use it.”

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It was in the last week of May when many residents started falling ill due to contaminated water. Several people were admitted in city hospitals, including Raichur Institute of Medical Sciences, after complaining of vomiting and diarrhea.

Officials said 14 of the city’s 35 wards had been receiving water from the Tungabhadra river, via the Rampur reservoir, without being treated. These wards house a population of around 1.5 lakh people. Sources said that stocks of bleach and alum, which are required for water treatment, had been exhausted, and were later purchased only after people had started dying from drinking contaminated water.

Speaking to The Sunday Express, Raichur City Municipal Council (CMC) commissioner K Gurulingappa admitted that the water filtration unit had not been cleaned or maintained for the past five years, leading to the contamination. He said a junior engineer and an assistant executive engineer, who were responsible for the filtration of water before it is supplied to the public, were suspended.

Gurlingappa said he assumed charge only on May 18, and had not been aware of the treatment unit being not maintained.

An official said that while untreated water had been supplied to residents for a while, the recent spate of illnesses and deaths may have come after water from polluted channels was consumed.

“We are now using the new WTP (water treatment plant) with permission, but are yet to officially take it to our control,” Gurlingappa said.

The automated WTP installed in 2018 had not been in use amid a back-and-forth over the past four years between the CMC and the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB) regarding repair work amounting to Rs 58 lakh.

In 2018, the KUWSDB had written a letter saying that the construction of the WTP was complete and asking the CMC to take over the plant and do further maintenance. It was only in 2020 that the CMC wrote back to the Board, saying that they would only take over the plant after some more repair work was done. For this, the KUWSDB gave an estimate of Rs 58 lakh, and despite more communication between the two bodies, no result was reached.

Raichur CMC president Lalitha Kadgol was not immediately available for comment.

Jayanna, a councillor from Ashapur (Ward No. 2), said the issue was known to everyone. “…Only after nearly 21 months did the CMC write a letter to KUWSDB, which is a huge delay. Even then, KUWSDB gave an option to pay Rs 58 lakh to address the objections raised, but the CMC failed to pay. In February, I raised this issue in the council but no one bothered to address it.”

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said an investigation into the deaths is underway. “Already two officials have been suspended. Water samples from all the wards are being tested and investigation is on. Criminal cases will be registered if necessary,” he said.

Raichur district has a history of polluted water leading to illness. In a recent study done by the Jal Shakti Ministry, water in 25 villages of Raichur district were found to have been contaminated with Arsenic. Also, people in this drought-hit district are dependent on tap water.