Bukka Veedhi residents stage protest over drinking water of poor quality

Residents of Bukka Veedhi protest against contaminated drinking water supplied by GVMC, facing health issues with no resolution.

The residents of Bukka Veedhi in the 38th Ward staged a protest on Thursday, alleging contamination of the drinking water being supplied to the locality by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC).

The protestors said that the drinking water pipelines in the locality were criss-crossing with underground drainage pipelines, resulting in severe water contamination.

Carrying the contaminated water in bottles, residents including women and senior citizens took part in the protest. They alleged that they had been facing the problem since several months. No action has been initiated by the authorities, despite repeated complaints over the issue, they complained.

“A foul smell emanates from the drinking water being supplied to our houses and the water is of unusual colour, indicating possible contamination with the sewage water. We have no other alternatives other than using the contaminated water for drinking and cooking purposes,” rued Meena, a resident of Bukka Veedhi.

Another protestor, Devi complained that they usually leave the water for around 20 to 30 minutes after it is released, as the initial water is expected to be contaminated. Later, we collect it for our households,” she said.

Several others complained of stomach infections and skin diseases, which they allege, are linked to the inferior water quality.

K. Chandrasekhar from the CITU, said despite repeated complaints to the municipal officials, the issue remains unresolved, prompting the residents to take to the streets.