Nagpur: In a shocking admission at a high-level review meeting, officials of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and Orange City Water (OCW) conceded that nearly 50 localities spread across 9 civic zones receive contaminated drinking water, triggering alarm over a looming public health crisis.
The disclosure came during a meeting convened by mayor Neeta Thakre, wherein repeated complaints of foul-smelling and discoloured water were discussed. The contamination was traced to multiple elevated service reservoir (ESR) command areas, exposing glaring lapses in monitoring, maintenance and quality control.
In Laxmi Nagar zone, residents of East Samartha Nagar in Ajni reported polluted water supply. Dharampeth zone had complaints from Dabha Basti, Pandhrabodi and Panchsheel Nagar. Hanuman Nagar was the only zone currently reporting no contamination.
Dhantoli zone received complaints from Vasant Nagar under Wanjari Nagar Old ESR. The situation was particularly grave in Nehru Nagar zone, where several pockets — including Nandanvan Layout near Shamshan Mandir, Kawelu Quarter, Gurudeo Nagar, Sindhi Basti in Tajbag and areas behind Tajbagh dargah — were affected.
In Gandhibagh zone, Gulab Baba Math (Siraspeth), Jalalpura, Mirza Galli Khadan, Ganeshpeth, Rajabaxa and Lodhipura were among the worst hit. Satranjipura zone reported widespread contamination in over a dozen areas, including localities around Itwari railway station, Prem Nagar, Thakkar Gram, Dhiwarpura, Gosavi Ghat, Devgharpura, Bhankheda, Pili Marbat Chowk and Vinoba Bhave Nagar.
Lakadganj zone grappled with complaints from Girija Nagar, Gajanan Mandir area, Bhandewadi slum, Pardi, Subhan Nagar ESR command area, Rampeth, Vairagade Wadi and HB Town. In Ashi Nagar zone, Pawan Nagar, Yogi Arvind Nagar, Anand Budh Vihar, Hudco Colony, Nara Gaon and Babadeep Singh Nagar were affected. Mangalwari zone reported contamination in Hasanoor ITI, Borgaon and Nikhare Layout in Manjapur.
The mayor expressed serious concern over pipeline leakages, possible sewer cross-connections and inadequate chlorination. She directed the administration to immediately identify contamination points, conduct flushing operations, strengthen water testing and ensure non-polluted and sufficient water supply to residents.
The issue assumed urgency after TOI on Wednesday reported contamination in Mankapur, where around 50 residents fell ill. With complaints surfacing from multiple zones simultaneously, questions were raised over the effectiveness of the city's water quality monitoring system and the promise of safe, round-the-clock supply.
Unless swift corrective measures are taken, the crisis threatens to snowball into a full-blown public health emergency.
INFOBOX
POLLUTED WATER CRISIS IN NAGPUR
Total affected localities: Nearly 50 areas
Zones impacted: 9 out of 10 zones
Total consumers in affected zones: Over 4 lakh households
Zone-wise Impact:
Laxmi Nagar: 1 area (41,783 consumers; 8 ESRs)
Dharampeth: 3 areas (46,029 consumers; 7 ESRs)
Hanuman Nagar: No contamination reported (43,254 consumers; 6 ESRs)
Dhantoli: 1 area (30,505 consumers; 4 ESRs)
Nehru Nagar: 5 major pockets (48,677 consumers; 7 ESRs)
Gandhibagh: 6 areas (29,169 consumers, 3 command areas)
Satranjipura: 15+ areas (56,026 consumers; 9 ESRs)
Lakadganj: 10+ areas (60,142 consumers; 8 ESRs)
Ashi Nagar: 7 areas (61,822 consumers; 11 ESRs)
Mangalwari: 3 areas (34,628 consumers; 4 ESRs)
Key Concern: Possible sewer cross-connections, leakages, and inadequate chlorination checks flagged during the mayor's review meeting.
BOX
OCWL replaces 250-metre pipeline after sewage chamber collapse in Mankapur
Nagpur: In a follow-up to the Mankapur water contamination crisis, Orange City Water (OCWL) on Wednesday said the source of contamination was traced to a collapsed and overflowing sewage chamber, which allowed sewage to enter the drinking water supply line.
Citing the critical public health risk, OCWL said the entire 250-metre stretch of the existing 150 mm diameter water pipeline has been fully replaced. Necessary interconnections have also been completed to restore and stabilise the supply network.
The utility further informed that shifting of 35 house service connections (HSCs) is currently underway and is expected to be completed by late tonight. A few consumers have already begun receiving clean water through the shifted connections, while the remaining households are expected to receive safe drinking water from Thursday onwards.
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