Panchayat officials to be held responsible for water pollution, warns Priyank Kharge

Bengaluru: Following reports of three deaths reportedly due to consumption of contaminated water in Tippanatagi village in Yadgir district, where five others have been hospitalised over the past week, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge warned executive officers and panchayat development officers that they would be responsible for failing to ensure supply of clean drinking water to villages. 

Residents of the village have been admitted to hospitals with complaints of diarrhoea and vomiting, triggered by consumption of contaminated water.

Drawing attention to the fact that the monsoon was in full swing across the state increasing the chances of water pollution, a statement released by the RDPR minister’s office emphasised the need to test drinking water samples for contaminants. Officials have been urged to take all measures to keep water sources clean from contamination.

In a virtual meeting with CEOs of ZP that lasted more than five hours, Priyank reportedly stressed the need to ensure rigorous quality checks to test drinking water for contaminants. The minister also stressed the need to regularly monitor all projects being executed by the Panchayat Raj Engineering, the Rural Drinking Water Supply departments, and the Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Agency.

Starting July 15, till July 31, ZP CEOs have been asked to tour the district and conduct extensive quality checks. He has also told them to ensure that work resumes on projects that have been stalled. “A comprehensive report detailing all measures taken is to be submitted to the government in the first week of August,” the minister informed them.

Pointing to complaints about solid waste management, Priyank instructed officials to devise strategies specific to each district to efficiently dispose of waste. He instructed them to ensure that citizens’ complaints were addressed on priority.

Pointing to the ‘Green Path’ initiative launched in Kalaburagi – a programme aimed at increasing tree cover by planting saplings along the sides of the road – Priyank directed officials to organise extensive plantation drives under the MGNREGS programme during the monsoon. Forest officials and State Remote Sensing Application Centre authorities must work together to identify roads where saplings can be planted, he said.