Alot (Madhya Pradesh): Residents of Alot are getting contaminated drinking water as muddy, yellow and foul-smelling water is coming from their taps, raising serious health concerns throughout the town of approximately 40,000 people.
For several days, tap water across the municipality's fifteen wards has been visibly discoloured and malodorous. The source of the problem appears to be Kshipra River, which currently contains significant algae growth, and appears green at the dam site near Guradia village.
Despite Rs 8.77 crore investment in a Central Water Augmentation Scheme more than a decade ago, which included construction of a dam, sump well, pipeline network, reservoir tank and filtration plant, residents continue to receive substandard water service.
The Municipal Council of Alot operates this infrastructure but has failed to address the deteriorating water quality.
The current water distribution schedule allows for just 30 minutes of water supply every third day, with some areas in higher elevations receiving even less.
While certain neighbourhoods have abundant water and often waste it, others suffer from insufficient pressure and volume. The town has approximately 4,500 tap connections, both authorised and unauthorised.
"There is stagnant water in the river and dirty water is also coming in," explained Rahul Sisodia, the city council's water supply system in-charge. "Water is being filtered, but this complaint has come up from Alot and other places."
Although residents pay a monthly water tax of Rs 50 per half-inch connection, the service quality remains unchanged. The nominal operation of the filtration plant and testing laboratory has raised questions about whether the distributed water meets basic potability standards.
