Jaipur: Contaminated drinking water has left at least 18 children suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea in Govardhanpuri’s C and F blocks over the past 20 days, forcing Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) to suspend piped water supply and leaving hundreds of families dependent on water tankers.According to officials, PHED had repeatedly asked Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) over the past 25 days to repair an overflowing and leaking sewer line. The delay allegedly allowed sewage to seep into the drinking water pipeline, contaminating the supply and affecting households across the locality.As complaints increased and children began falling ill, PHED stopped the water supply as a precautionary measure and started supplying water through tankers.Former councillor Kamlesh Kanwar said residents were already grappling with water shortages during the summer, and the contaminated supply had worsened the crisis.“PHED is sending water tankers, but families cannot depend on them indefinitely. The department is blaming the civic body, even though the sewer line and drainage system were cleaned after we raised the issue. There was no lapse on the corporation’s part,” she claimed.Kanwar said several children continue to suffer from water-borne illnesses even as seasonal infections are spreading. “We have repeatedly asked PHED when the pipeline will be repaired, but there is no clear timeline. Officials visit the area, carry out temporary work and leave residents dependent on tanker water,” she said.Resident Khushboo Jangid said her children fell ill after consuming the contaminated water and have been unable to attend school for the past five days.“Our medical expenses are increasing. We first complained about the dirty water during the summer. Had action been taken then, this situation could have been avoided,” she said.Another resident, Gunjan Kumar, termed the issue a serious public health concern. “Repeated complaints and technical warnings should have prompted quicker action. The immediate priority should be restoring safe drinking water and preventing such incidents from recurring,” he said.Attempts to contact PHED Chief Additional Engineer Ajay Singh Rathore for a response were unsuccessful, as he was unavailable for comment.
