Cow dung suspected to be found in water tank in Pudukottai village

Even as the case of mixing of human faeces in a drinking water tank at Vengaivayal is yet to be cracked, another suspected case of contamination of water in an overhead water tank by mixing cow dung has emerged in Pudukottai district

Even as the case of mixing of human faeces in a drinking water tank at Vengaivayal is yet to be cracked, another suspected case of contamination of water in an overhead water tank by mixing cow dung has emerged in Pudukottai district.

The incident was reported at Sangamviduthi village in Gandharvakottai taluk in the district on Thursday prompting the police to launch an inquiry into the issue. Samples of the polluted water from the tank have been collected and sent for test to determine whether it was cow dung or algae. 

The incident came to light in morning after one of the residents of the village informed the revenue authorities about the suspicion that there was cow dung in the tank. A video clip showing the tank was shared widely in social media.

Revenue officials rushed to the village upon receipt of information and conducted enquiries. Official sources said the overhead water tank was a common facility supplying drinking water to families in the village.

After collection of samples, water was drained from the tank which was was cleaned twice. The tank would be cleaned once again on Friday, a revenue official said and added that arrangements were made for the time being to supply drinking water through a tanker lorry to the residents of the village. The police was conducting an inquiry into the incident. 

The Sangamviduthi incident comes as a grim reminder to the Vengaivayal case in the district where faeces was found mixed in an overhead water tank that supplied drinking water to Adi Dravidar families in December 2022. The case, which was initially probed by special teams of the Pudukottai district police, was subsequently transferred to the Crime Branch CID in January 2023. The case remains unsolved for more than a year now.