Budgam: People here in the township are up in arms against Public Health Engineering (PHE) department for supplying them with contaminated water.
“PHE is supplying us impure and contaminated drinking water without caring for our health and wellbeing,” locals alleged.
Aggrieved residents told Kashmir Images that they often find insects with the water being supplied by the PHE. “The water supplied to the Budgam town by the PHE department contains earthworms and other insects,” they said.
Most of the drinking water to Budgam town is being supplied from Jawalapora filtration plant. However, locals alleged that water plant is not functioning properly.
“The reservoir at filtration plant is open and has not been cleaned,” said Sajad Hussain, a local adding that the water plant has become a breeding ground for rats and insects.
When this reporter visited the filtration plant, PHE employees posted there admitted that that they have seen rats in the water.
Insisting that they supply filtered water, they held other connected water bodies responsible for supply of contaminated water.
“We filter the water but once this water is allowed from the filtration plant, the pipes passing through Budgam are linked to unfiltered water that result in contamination of water,” they said.
Meanwhile, Muneer Ahmad, another local said that they have raised this issue with PHE officials, but the department is yet to solve this issue.
When contacted, Executive Engineer PHE Budgam, Ghulam Ahmad Beigh said, “We are supplying filtered water to people,” adding, he will look into the complaints of the public.
