Residents forced to consume fluoride-content water or travel up to three kilometres to get potable water

Mysore/Mysuru: While the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) and District Administration have been repeatedly urging residents to consume clean drinking water to prevent diseases like cholera, dengue fever, chikungunya and zika fever, the Reverse Osmosis (RO) water purification facility in Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Nagar (SVP Nagar) has been defunct. 

The plant, built by Nirmithi Kendra out of the grants by Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Devegowda has been non-operational for over a year, yet no one has paid attention. Residents have to travel 3 kilometres to another locality just to get clean drinking water, disrupting their daily lives and work.

Despite efforts by the District Administration and Zilla Panchayat to address the malfunctioning machines, there hasn’t been any significant improvement. The water in the area has an excessive fluoride content, leading to various health problems. People suffer from illnesses regularly and the situation remains concerning. 

Although the Government established a water purification plant, it failed to address the issue after the machines became faulty. Unfortunately, no one is listening to the complaints of the residents. The presence of high levels of fluoride compounds in the water exacerbates health risks.

Local representatives and officials need to take immediate action to rectify the malfunctioning water purification facilities and provide accessible clean water to the public, said Manukumar, a citizen activist of SVP Nagar.

The investment made in constructing the RO plant should not go waste and the authorities must prioritise the well-being of the community, he added.