By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Nine people have died and over 200 have been hospitalized in the last three days after drinking contaminated water in Bholakpur area in Hyderabad. Locals say the contamination happened due to seepage of sewage water into the drinking water pipeline. For the last one month residents were complaining about it but the authorities did not heed, which led to outbreak of diarrhea 10 days ago. The dead include seven children.
Talking to TwoCircles.net Karnam Murali, Hyderabad Convenor of Human Rights Forum said: “There are tanneries in the area but officials have shown irresponsibility towards public health. They do not care about the health of people. This is a very poor area. About 95% of Bholakpur (that falls in Musheerabad assembly constituency) population is Muslim, and so there is indifference and neglect towards the minority.”
“Trouble started on Tuesday with the death of four-year-old Aman, a resident of Siddiquinagar, around 8 am. A little later, a resident of Tareeqnagar Mohammed Osman (65), died due to diarrhoea. At about 10 am, another girl Taiyaba Tarun, 14, of Indiranagar succumbed. Earlier on Monday, an seven-year-old boy, Feroz of Indiranagar had died. Though officials refused to confirm, locals said two persons—Sohm, 48, of Indiranagar, and Mohd Iqbal, 50, of Rajeevnagar—died due to the same reason on Monday. Another woman, Kausalya Bai, of the same area died late on Tuesday,” says Siasat, leading Urdu daily from Hyderabad.
“Today ninth death was reported. Those dead include seven children and two men. They have been complaining of polluted water for one month, but the authorities did not give attention. There has been dramatic rise in diarrhea cases in last 10 days. There is a need to complete replacement of drainage and water pipelines,” Murali of the Human Rights Forum said. “On the whole, irresponsibility and unaccountability of both water works department and Hyderabad Municipal Corporation caused this catastrophe,” he said.
A team of the Forum visited the affected areas yesterday, interacted with victims of polluted water, elders and doctors of the area and officials of Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Services and Sewerage Board (HMWS &SB).
The team found that:
–The quality of water in this particular area is generally less than the prescribed standard by the doctors, the cases of diarrhea has been reported more for the past 10 days. That should have clearly alerted the water board of impending danger but that did not happen.
–In Bolakpur area the water and drainage pipeline exist very close to each other. They should have at least 6 meter distance.
–This area appears to receive low priority in the allocation of staff and funds for repairs and maintenance of water supply lines. The accumulation of garbage in the drainage has not been cleared for years and as result they overflow during rains and pollute the drinking water pipelines.
–Since most of the people in Bolakpur are poor and do garbage collection and salting of leathers for livelihood, the general hygiene of the area is very low and has potential for contagious diseases.
Meanwhile a high level team of Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee (CLMC) also visited the Bholakpur area and the hospitals where the affected people are being treated. Lateef Muhammad Khan, General Secretary, CLMC, has blamed the government for the epidemic situation in the area. He said the government is responsible for the failure to provide safe drinking water to the people in the area.
While expressing his deep grief and sorrow on the loss of lives of people due to the polluted drinking water, Khan said: “The government claims and takes credit for the development, but the fact is that it failed to provide the minimum basic facilities like safe drinking water. If the situation is such worse in the Musheerabad area which is in the heart of the Hyderabad city, then one can imagine what the situation would be in other districts of Andhra Pradesh and the sufferings of the people.”
“Civil liberties believe that the tragedy of Bholakpur of Hyderabad proves that the claim of Congress Government on Development is totally false. When government is not in a position to provide at least safe drinking water then it has no right to rule the state. The state government itself is responsible for the loss of lives of people and the suffering of people due to polluted water. Government cannot escape by just giving false promises of compensation and by suspending some of the officials to minimize the emotions and anger of people,” he said.
Media reports say that public anger over the official apathy has burst out. They have attacked local politicians who were trying to visit the affected area. The car of Secunderabad Lok Sabha MP Anjan Kumar Yadav (Congress) was damaged when he tried to enter the area. Musheerabad MLA T Manemma (also Congress) had to beat a hasty retreat seeing the situation going out of control.