Well in the middle of the lake: Karunguli locals face health risks due to bad drinking water

The village consists of 15 wards, with a population of 20,000 people. When the village was facing severe water scarcity in the summer, the officials dug a well in the middle of Karunguli lake when it was dry. But as they failed to construct a parapet around it. Due to this, when the lake reached full capacity after the rains, the flood water from the surrounding areas, including from overflowing storm water drains and even sewage, got mixed with the well water, rendering it unfit for consumption.

The residents here said even though they requested the officials not to construct the well in the middle of the lake, pointing out that the water would turn dirty and unusable when the lake became full, the officials did not pay heed to their warning and went ahead with the plan.

When the lake was filled after the rain, the well is under water as the people had warned. Due to this, the well water is not potable any more even if they boil it, said the people here. 

“The panchayat is supplying the dirty water every day. But most of the villagers who cannot afford to purchase water are forced to use that water for cooking and drinking purposes, even though they are well aware that it is dirty,” said Savithri, a resident of the village. 

Sources said Rs 30 lakh was spent to dig the well. According to the villagers, officials should have planned properly before going ahead with the proposal.

When contacted, Kurunguli panchayat executive officer S Kesaan said, “We planned to construct a 10-feet wall around the well so that the water from the lake would not go inside. But because the rains started, we could not complete it.” The official said that the work would be completed by January. Till then, the water would be supplied from other sources, he added.