Wake-up call: Clean drinking water is a right, not luxury

Two residents of Khankot village on the outskirts the city died after consuming water contaminated with sewage — a tragedy that has once again exposed the city’s ongoing water safety crisis. The victims fell ill after reportedly drinking water from the household supply and succumbed to severe gastrointestinal complications.

While the deaths have shocked the local community, they are the outcome of a long-standing problem that the residents and health experts say has been ignored for years — the persistent mixing of sewage into drinking water due to the decaying infrastructure and administrative apathy.

The contamination of drinking water with sewage is not a new issue in the city. Multiple localities have repeatedly reported foul-smelling, discoloured tap water.

The residents have raised alarms, filed complaints and even staged protests, but systemic solutions have remained elusive.

“The pipelines that carry drinking water and sewage often run parallel, and in many places, they are decades old. Unauthorised sewerage and water connections have further damaged the already vulnerable infrastructure,” said a senior official of the MC said.

Even a small crack or leakage allows sewage to seep into the water supply. This is basic science, and yet no preventive maintenance has been done.

The responsibility lies squarely with the MC, which has failed to maintain and upgrade the city’s aging water supply infrastructure. Despite knowing the risks, the civic body has neither conducted comprehensive pipeline audits nor implemented an effective water testing and response mechanism. The lack of a proactive monitoring system means contaminated water continues to reach homes without detection until illness or tragedy strikes. “Why does it take deaths for the authorities to respond?” questioned Jagtar Singh, a resident of Khankot.

The MC’s failure also extends to communication. There have been no public advisories, no emergency alerts and no proper accountability.

In Khankot, families were still using the same water supply till MC fetched water tankers and the health authorities asked the residents to use boiled water for drinking.

The contaminated water does not just carry bacteria, it carries the weight of administrative neglect. The loss of lives in Khankot should serve as a loud wake up call. After all, clean drinking water is not a luxury; it is a right. Isn’t it?

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