Belagavi rolls out tanker water after 1.2% drinking water samples fail quality tests

Belagavi: Alternative drinking water is being supplied through tankers under the Jal Jeevan Mission and various multi-village water supply schemes after just over 1% of water samples tested across Belagavi district were found contaminated, officials said.A large-scale inspection conducted by the district administration found contamination in drinking water sources across all 15 taluks, raising concerns over public health and groundwater quality. According to official data, water quality tests were conducted on 78,392 samples collected from 6,614 water sources and storage structures across 1,369 villages. Of these, 949 samples — about 1.2% — were found to be contaminated.Officials said borewell sources were the worst affected, attributing the contamination largely to excessive extraction and overdependence on groundwater resources.To prevent the consumption of unsafe water, the district administration initiated immediate measures in affected villages, including intensified tanker supply and the use of multi-village water supply schemes. An awareness campaign was also launched in coordination with gram panchayats, health department and rural drinking water and sanitation department (RDWSD), urging residents not to consume water from contaminated sources.Taluk-wise figures show Athani recording the highest number of contaminated sources, at 308, followed by Bailhongal and Raibag, with 115 each. Officials said these taluks are receiving special attention, with the RDWSD strengthening water supply arrangements in affected areas.Kiran Ghorpade, executive engineer, RDWSD, told TOI that all precautionary measures have been taken to provide alternative drinking water through purification plants and multi-village water supply schemes.ZP CEO Rahul Shinde said efforts are also under way to identify long-term solutions to tackle groundwater contamination and strengthen water quality monitoring. He stressed that ensuring safe drinking water remains a top priority and appealed to residents to follow official advisories until permanent remedial measures are implemented.