Kolkata: After suspected water contamination at Sukhobrishti Housing Complex last week, another residential complex in New Town reported the presence of coliform bacteria in its water sample. Residents of One 10 Housing, located in Action Area 1 near Aquatica Water Park, said recent water test reports detected the microbe. But no case of illness was reported so far. The housing complex comprises around 700 flats and houses over 2,500 residents. On Sunday, the residents met local councillor Binu Mondal at the complex, urging immediate intervention to ensure supply of safe water. “Residents demand expedited connection to a centralised filtered water network. Any delay can escalate into a public health crisis,” said Somnath Ghosh, another resident said. The authorities are yet to conclusively identify the source of contamination at Sukhobrishti. After the incident, Several families temporarily moved out of the complex.
A resident, Moloy Das, said the latest test reports show that the water has higher levels of turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), calcium, magnesium, chloride, iron and manganese. “Due to this, the water does not meet BIS water standards and is not safe for drinking or human consumption. We need surface water from BMC or NKDA under AMRUT or any other scheme,” he added. Currently, the complex draws water from the underground sources. “Coliform bacteria was detected in the raw water. It is treated internally, but that puts us at enormous risk if the filtration plant malfunctions or if consumption pressure increases with rising occupancy,” said Alok Dutta, another resident. He pointed out that dependence on groundwater makes the system vulnerable in the absence of a dedicated filtered water network. Councillor Mondal, who represents ward 27 under Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC), confirmed that residents raised concerns regarding access to filtered water supply. “The housing complex authorities arrange water on their own. Following their request, inspections were conducted. The issue was communicated to the BMC member, mayor-in-council (water supply), and efforts are on to come up with a solution,” he added. Tulsi Sinha Roy, member, mayor-in-council (water supply), said the pipeline work to develop a distribution network in ward 27 is currently underway. “Once it is completed, the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department will make calculations and determine the amount of filtered water to be supplied to the area,” Roy said. A New Town Kolkata Development Authority official said the complex falls under Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation limits.
