Filth 'n' water cocktail at Mahavir Enclave

MAHAVIR ENCLAVE: Debashish Roy, a resident of Bengali Colony in Mahavir Enclave, has been deprived of his daily quota of water for the past 10 days. Not because the supply is inadequate, but because he''s been getting a jet-black liquid from his tap, with an uncomfortably foul smell.
He is fortunate enough, he says, at least financially, to be able to buy mineral water bottles to quench his thirst.However, all his other daily activities like bathing and washing utensils have had to take a backseat.
Some 700 families of this colony in southwest Delhi have been getting contaminated water supply for the past 10 days. This, despite the tall claims made by DJB officials about plugging leakages and curbing contamination in the city''s supply. "We even got human excreta, mixed with water coming out of our taps. Even after filtering it, it carried traces of the filthy contents," says Bidyut Mukherjee, another resident.
According to residents, although DJB officials have inspected the area, they have not been able to detect the source of contamination. RWA general secretary Debashish Samaddar said: "Since September 3, we have been getting sewage water in our taps. It is receding off and on, and on days when we do get clear water, there is a strong odour in it. We have heard vague reports that DJB is looking at the problem but nothing has happened." Many residents of the area, including children, have reportedly fallen ill.
DJB officials, however, claim that ever since stray cases of water-borne diseases were reported this summer, a daily joint sampling of water was being conducted in association with the MCD. "Daily, 500-550 samples are lifted jointly and this is apart from another 400-450 independent samples lifted by the DJB field staff daily for residual chlorine test. The failure rate varies from 0-3 or four samples," an official said.