No water in many flat schemes as overflowing sewage lines contaminate underground tanks

Nagpur: The heavy rains in the last 24 hours have not only inundated the entire city but have also caused severe water woes for the residents in several affected areas. The situation is particularly alarming in the Nandanvan and other affected areas, where numerous flat schemes are located. The incessant rainfall has led to water accumulation in the parking lots of these residential complexes, which has later entered the water tanks meant for storing drinking water and water used for regular use.
One of the major crises on Sunday for the citizens was the water stuck up in basements of several buildings across the city. However, another crises came to the fore after basement water was cleared as underground water tanks were filled with drain water.
The residents claimed that now cleaning these water tanks and getting usable and drinking water is a hard task ahead.
"We will now have to clean these tanks first, which will cost us money as well as time. It will take at least a few days to completely clean the tank and even after this if rain comes, the same thing will happen. Till tanks are cleaned, how will we manage? We are currently relying on canned water but still we need water for other uses as well," said an affected resident.
Another affected resident of Nandanvan area said mixing drain water with the drinking water supply has now posed a serious health hazard to the residents of the affected areas. "The contaminated water can lead to various waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis, among others. The civic authorities have failed to address the situation,” said the resident.
Residents of Nandanvan and other affected areas are left with no choice but to rely on filtered water for their daily needs. The sudden surge in demand for canned water has led to a shortage in supply, causing further inconvenience to the people.
"I have supplied all my water cans to many locals and still people are approaching me. Now I am trying to get cans from different vendors to provide them to the locals," said a supplier.
Apart from this, the many flat schemes were flooded after the draining system started throwing filthy water back after it was over flooded which also caused water logging in basements.
Citizens claimed that the situation has exposed the inadequacies of city's drainage and water supply infrastructure. They criticized NMC for their lack of preparedness in dealing with such emergencies. The residents have demanded immediate action from the authorities to address water contamination and ensure a steady supply of drinking water.
Meanwhile, doctors have urged people to boil water before consuming it and to avoid using contaminated water for cooking and washing.