Poisoned water for Maski soon?

Sowmya Aji Mehu / TNN / Jun 1, 2006, 23:16 IST

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Over 25,000 residents in the historic town of Maski in Raichur district say that just drink just arsenic.

BANGALORE: Drink arsenic or nothing at all. Over 25,000 residents in the historic town of Maski in Raichur district may have to do just that.
The 2,500-year-old Maski- one of the oldest human inhabitations in Karnataka- has no water. Drinking water is being supplied in tankers every year.
A World Bank-funded permanent drinking water source under Jal Nirmal has been planned.
This project for providing water from borewells, initially slotted to cost Rs 4 crore was "mysteriously" enhanced to a Rs 8.6 crore reservoir. The reason- Maski is to become a taluk.

But the catch is that the reservoir is planned on arsenic-filled soil! "Under pressure from local contractors for a big project, the impounding reservoir was planned. But a reservoir here will mean poisoned water for the people!" sources said.
The reservoir is to be built near the Hutti gold mine, in the Hutti-Maski region, where fresh mining is proposed. It is a known fact that cold mining is done only in arseno-pyrite zones.

Recent cases of arsenic-poisoning were reported in Bangladesh, where people developed blisters on palms and soles that turned gangrenous and cancerous. Arsenic can also fatally affect lungs and kidneys.
Following these cases, the Jal Nirmal District Support Unit (DSU) and the Raichur zilla panchayat CEO sent reports to the government opposing the reservoir and recommending borewells.
"DSU tests found up to 60 ppm (parts per million) of arsenic there against a permissible 10 ppm, while private consultants, Stup, found 160 ppm!" sources said.
Stup, which proposed the reservoir, contended there is an engineering solution. "We have no contact with any contractors.
Borewells showed chemical-contaminated water. Our solution is- give a lining of different earth to the reservoir tank and then fill it. Seepage will be taken into account," Stup principal consultant Y D Manmohan stated.
This method will, however, push up costs by 30 per cent and may not solve the arsenic problem, according to DSU. Local officials said three plans were proposed for Maski- new borewells, water from Maski canal 11 km away or the reservoir.
"The groundwater is said to be chemically contaminated, though DSU disputes this. Bringing water from Maski canal is expensive. There is pressure from contractors and local politicians to build the reservoir, risking the arsenic," officials admitted.
Rural water supply minister Govind M Karjol said he would "look into the matter"

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