Ranchi gets helpline nos to report water contamination, leakage

Ranchi: The drinking water and sanitation department on Wednesday launched a mobile helpline service for city residents to report water-related issues, including contamination, irregular supply and leakage, for timely intervention by the department for cleanerpotable water.

The residents can now inform the department on the helpline numbers — 79735-67020, 85460-51917, and 88630-16796 — about any kind of water-related issues they face.

TOI has been highlighting the woes regarding potable water and its supply and maintenance network faced by city residents across localities in a series of reports. A professional who stays in a rented accommodation, Shubham Kumar, said, “I had to be hospitalised due to diarrhoea and vomiting in October last year. When doctors suspected it to be due to consumption of impure water, I stopped drinking tap water and started purchasing packaged water. Since then, I have not fallen ill.”




The executive engineer of the department’s Swarnarekha distribution section, Chandrasekhar, issued a public notice about the initiative. “The department has taken a stand to avert a rerun of the recent Indore incident in Ranchi. We will promptly redress the issues, ensuring safe water is received by the citizens,” he said.

The distribution section provides 180mn lt of water per day to around 80% of the city’s population.

The move has been applauded by the residents. “People often don’t know whom to approach when the water turns muddy or smells. A dedicated helpline will help in raising alarms early. Timely redressal will help prevent bigger crises like that in Indore,” Brijbhushan Kumar of Lalpur said.

A resident of Purulia Road, Aryan Kumar, said, “We’ve been getting dirty water for months. Hope that the newly launched helpline numbers help us report issues and get those addressed.”

A Kokar resident, Nitin Kumar, said, “The water supply is extremely irregular. Some times, we get water during daytime, sometimes late at night, and sometimes the supply runs dry for three to four days at a stretch. Now that they have provided us with these helpline numbers, we’ll definitely report the matter if it happens again. Let’s see if they fix it.”

“The water supplied to the households is being tested every day before distribution to avoid any kind of contamination. It is chlorinated to kill harmful bacteria and viruses that cause diseases like typhoid, cholera, and dysentery, making it safe to drink. The water tanks at the distribution plant are also cleaned twice a year in the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon periods,” the executive engineer further said.