Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], January 7 : BJP Corporator, Akula Srivani, on Wednesday addressed the water contamination issue in Hyderabad, saying that the major cause of contamination is the old drainage system and the pipeline network, which is 30-40 years old.
Speaking to ANI, Srivani explained that the old pipelines need to be replaced because they can burst, allowing sewage to enter the drinking water and causing infections and diseases.
"The repeated contamination issues are due to the ageing drainage system. Pipeline networks laid in many areas are almost 30-40 years old and need to be replaced. Moreover, the main alarming factor is that drainage lines run alongside water pipelines throughout the city, and mainly in the areas where the water connectivity is very close to each other, the drainage systems which are very old in nature, they collapsed in some areas and the sewage water seeped into the contaminated area and soil area, which goes into the water pipelines which causes the contamination," she said.
She further asserted that most of the time, contamination goes undetected to the naked eye and harms the general public.
"In some cases, people are able to detect the change in colour and smell, but more often there are very mild signs so they are not able to recognise the danger, and it will happen. So, in JB Colony, Bapu Nagar, and Bhagat Singh Nagar, the only reason for the contamination is the old drainage system and pipelines," she stated.
Highlighting shortages of staff, funds, and resources, Srivani said the issue must be addressed urgently, emphasising the need to prioritise maintenance of underground water pipelines and drainage systems to ensure public safety.
"We are talking about future metropolitan cities, but we are not changing what's going underground. We are talking about skyscrapers and skywalks, but we are not talking about the under-drainage pipeline issues. These need to be addressed very quickly, and the supervision is very slow due to the shortage of staff, shortage of funds and supervisors," she stated.