Polluted water threatens lives of 100 Kafrul residents

Polluted water tainted with raw sewage is being supplied to a building at Modhya Pirerbagh in Kafrul area, endangering the lives of around a hundred of its inhabitants.
As a result, the residents of the building are being subjected to waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea and skin diseases.
Although a number of the residents have already been hospitalised with serious illnesses, the cause of the water pollution in the water supply line has not been remedied due to lack of proper initiative.
Sewage is sipping through a water supply line -- between Alirtek pump and holding number 98 of Modhya Pirerbagh -- that was damaged during the authorities' drive against unauthorised water connections, said residents of the building.
"Dirts gets mixed up with the supply water through the damaged point in the supply line," said Joynal Abedin, one of the inhabitants of the building.
Joynal added that he had already written about the problem that was published in a newspaper recently.
Every family residing in the building has someone who is suffering from waterborne diseases, he added.
"I personally buy drinking water [in containers] from a person, but I am compelled to use this dirty supply water for washing and other daily use," Joynal said.
He, however, said he did not lodge any complaint with the water supply authorities about the problem, but informed the landlord of the problem instead.
Enamul Haque, the building owner, said he was also a sufferer and his wife was recently released from ICDDR, B hospital after being treated for cholera.
Enam also blamed the authorities for the damaged supply line saying that he did not make any complaints to the authorities.
Earlier, he had requested the authorities to divert the water supply to the building, pumped from a different water pump at Kadamtali, but his request was ignored.
"Three years ago, a few of the guys asked me to pay them for including me under the coverage of Kadamtali pump. As I refused to pay, I was not included to receive water from that pump," he added.
A staff working at Alirtek pump said he was not aware of any formal complaint about the problem. "If they informed us of the problem, we could repair the supply pipe at the earliest."
Mostafa Kamal, executive engineer of zone 4 of Dhaka Water Supply Authority, said the sewerage wing conducted the eviction drives against unauthorised connections in the area and they should repair the leaks.