PHE supplies contaminated water to Beerwah villages
When public health turns into public ‘unhealth’
Beerwah, Mar 24: Raising serious health concerns, people in Beerwah Budgam are up in arms against the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department for supplying over two dozen villages of the sub-district with contaminated and unfiltered drinking water.
“We are compelled to drink contaminated water from a reservoir constructed decades back in Chanapora village,” locals said.
They complained that the water of Karshan stream is being directly collected into the reservoir, and then supplied to the people without any treatment whatsoever.
The locals of Danas, Churamujra, Bohnut, Bagandar, Ramhuma and Hoklitri villages told ‘Kashmir Images’ that the PHE department Beerwah is not upholding its fundamental role of ensuring clean water supply to the people.
“Human and animal waste, carcasses, and garbage can be seen floating in the reservoir but the PHE department does not seem to care about the health of people as they continue supplying this unhygienic water to over two dozen villages,” Nawaz Alam, a local alleged.
He said that due to this contaminated water supply, health issues are on rise in the area.
“Waterborne diseases like typhoid, hepatitis, diarrhea and so forth are widespread in the Beerwah area,” he claimed.
“Instead of delivering water supply from nearby filtration plant, PHE is providing us polluted water of Karshan stream,” he added.
When contacted, Assistant Executive Engineer (PHE Beerwah) Mushtaq Ahmad, admitted that a number of villages in Beerwah are getting unfiltered water supply.
“We have proposed a scheme – Hunjigor Pathkont – under which the Beerwah villages will be supplied filtered drinking water. We are waiting for formal approval of this scheme,” Mushataq Ahmad said.
