Leaking water pipes damage roads, cause diseases
Ravinder Sood
Palampur, January 2
Leaking water pipes in Palampur are resulting in a host of problems for the residents. Despite the fact that IPH authorities are well versed with the situation, no steps have been initiated till date to repair the pipes in various part of the town.
Leaking pipes of the Irrigation and Public Health Department are also causing loss worth lakhs of rupees to the Public Works Department in the town every year as most of the roads recently metalled by the department have developed potholes at several places.
The Irrigation and Public Health Department has failed to follow the norms fixed by the government for laying water supply pipes. Most of the pipes have been laid in the open. These are leaking regularly directly affecting the roads causing inconvenience to the public.
As per the norms notified by the state government, the minimum depth of the pipes should be more than one feet but these norms have openly been flouted by the IPH Department. Roads leadings to Chhoki and Bundla are the worst affected where water is flowing on the roads. Pipes are also leaking near water tanks of the IPH Department on the Ghuggar – Maranda road. Because of leaking water pipes residents in many areas are forced to use contaminated water, resulting in various diseases like jaundice, hepatitis and other water born disease. Local residents have brought the matter to the notice of IPH authorities time and again but no steps have been initiated to repair the road.
An officer of the PWD said the department had written a number of letters to the IPH authorities in this regard but no efforts were made to repair the leaking pipes. Since water is flowing on the road, department is unable to repair or carpet the roads. Leaking pipes apart from causing loss to the PWD is causing water to flow into drains.
