Cuttack move to fight jaundice

CUTTACK: Following the recent outbreak of jaundice in the city, the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has taken elaborate measures to ensure supply of safe drinking water at jal chhatras or water kiosks.
"Every year, we receive complaints about poor management of jal chhatras and unsafe water served at the kiosks. The jaundice outbreak was also attributed to contaminated water.Instead of earthen pots, we have decided to store water in plastic tanks this year," said CMC commissioner Gyana Ranjan Das.
Tankers of public health engineering organization (PHEO) will fill up these tanks daily and CMC officials will personally monitor the quality of water. Engineers have been asked to install the water tanks at clean and safe places, official sources said, adding, these will be placed at important junctions and crowded places on a priority basis.
Besides, it will be mandatory for any social organization or institution, willing to set up jal chhatras, to seek CMC's permission. "This will help us to keep tabs on quality of water served at kiosks managed by private parties," he said.
The food inspectors will also check the quality of water and curd water (dahi pani, torani) served by private organizations. Action will be taken against violators, Das added.
During the outbreak of jaundice, the civic body had procured 330 water tanks to provide safe drinking water in the affected areas. These tanks will be used in the jal chhatras, which will be opened across the city on April 15, the sources said.
The CMC commissioner said the tanks will put up in all 59 wards.
Denizens, however, expressed concern over the new arrangement as water stored in the plastic tanks will become hot in the scorching summer. "I am sceptical about the new arrangement. It is impossible to quench thirty with warm water," said Pradip Patnaik, a banker residing at Badambadi.
The CMC authorities said they are aware of the problem and will take remedial measures. "The tanks will be kept in shed or placed over a layer of sand. We are thinking of other measures to keep the water cool," Das added.