Guntur: The citizens of Guntur are currently staying in a dreadful situation. The present scenario is such that even a light drizzle gets the locals tensed over the quality the water they will receive for day-to-day purpose.The reason for this concern is because it has been discovered that drinking water which is being supplied by the Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) is filled with mud and bacteria whenever it rains in the city. People are particularly worried about the water because of the memories of the diarrhoea epidemic that marred the city earlier this year in the month of May. The dreaded epidemic killed as many as 25 people in the city only five months ago.Ironically, the engineering wing of the GMC is washing off its hands by putting the blame on the Under-Ground Drainage (UGD) contractor for the leakage of drinking water supply lines. However, residents of many colonies, where the UGD contractor did complete the road restoration works, too are complaining about the stinking drinking water. “It is impossible to drink this water as it is not only contaminated but also stinking,” K Savitramma, a resident of Basavatharakarama Nagar fumed.Despite the growing concern about the water the engineering wing has blatantly left the issue to the fate of the people. All the officials have said is to caution people of boiling the water before consumption.“It is a common trouble during the rainy season. People should be alert and take water only after getting it properly heated and cooled to kill the bacteria,” engineering official suggested.Surprisingly, no senior official from GMC engineering wing has taken a heed to the issue and made any attempt to curb down the menace. To make the matter worse, the officials have been found clueless as to where and how the drain water has been entering into the drinking water pipelines. “The UGD pipelines are laid at a depth of four feet while the drinking water supply lines are at a depth of six feet. They are throwing mud on us only to cover-up their failures,” a representative of Shapoorji Pallonji group, which is handling UGD project said.

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