Kolkata: More than two dozen residents of Siddha Happyville, a housing complex near Rajarhat Chowmatha, have reportedly fallen ill after allegedly consuming contaminated water supplied from the complex’s reservoir, prompting residents to stage a protest on Sunday and lodge a complaint at Rajarhat police station.Residents alleged that the water reservoirs and the water treatment system at the complex have not been maintained properly for a long time, with dirty rainwater entering the reservoirs and contaminating the supply. They claimed that several children, teenagers and elderly residents had developed stomach-related ailments and at least five flat owners had to visit the hospital as well.The residents demanded immediate cleaning and disinfection of the reservoirs. They also alleged that despite repeated complaints, the management had failed to take adequate corrective measures. Siddha Group authorities however claimed that they have already addressed the issue and have started water testing and deep cleaning of the reservoirs.“In the last 36 hours, we noticed that there was a weird smell in the water. To contain it we had initially intensified treatment by increasing backwashing and using chlorine and alum. However, when residents complained that the smell was still there, we drained the water and started cleaning the tank immediately. We have arranged water tankers so that the crisis can be managed,” said Tonmoy Chatterjee, facility head, Siddha Group. “We will send water samples to a laboratory on Monday and share the reports with the residents,” he added.Residents however claimed that the water crisis had persisted for several days, while some alleged that they had been receiving poor-quality water intermittently for nearly two years. Piyush Kanodia, Rajarhat-New Town MLA visited the spot and heard the residents’ pleas.“My son and two other family members have been suffering from stomach problems since Saturday morning,” said Aditya Agarwal, a resident of the complex. “Since morning, not a single person from the management has paid any heed. There is a foul smell coming from the water. It feels like some animal has died and is decomposing,” the resident added.On Sunday, residents sat outside the complex gate displaying samples of the contaminated water and alleged that there was no effective mechanism to determine whether the water was fit for consumption. Residents said they were particularly concerned because a similar water contamination episode had earlier affected residents of Sukhobrishti Housing Complex in New Town where more than 300 residents of E Block had reportedly suffered from acute diarrhoea.
