Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jan 18: "The residents of the city have the right to get clean water. Therefore, we will carry on fight for it till the city corporation supplies clean water to the people here," asserted former minister and BJP leader, Krishna J Palemar.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday January 17, he said that he had got the water being supplied by the city corporation tested through laboratory, and found presence of coliform. "Ten lac people consume this water. It poses the risk of giving rise to catastrophe on a large scale. The corporation, instead of taking corrective measures, is showing interest in challenging the finding," he pointed out.

Palemar said he had visited Thumbay and got the water from there tested. "Water from drains is directly getting mixed with river water. How has the city mayor, who claims to have visited ten places, missed out on this?" he questioned, when releasing a CD containing pictures of drainage water draining into drinking water at Thumbay.

He recalled that the city mayor and local MLA had termed his earlier statement about contaminated water as figment of imagination. "I have the experience of working as minister for environment for three years. It was expected of them to agree the presence of coliform in drinking water instead of challenging my statement," he shot back. Palemar added that the water being supplied to his house too is contaminated with coliform which cannot be got rid of even by boiling. He said coliform is like poison, and asked the corporation to understand its responsibility towards supplying clean water to the citizens, and take steps as may be necessary to discharge this responsibility properly.

Palemar said he has observed drainage water directly getting emptied into River Netravati at various places in Bantwal taluk. He said this water is purified with chlorine and supplied to the people here, and wanted the corporation to take this matter seriously.

Leader of the opposition in the corporation council, Roopa Bangera, corporator, Sudhir Shetty Kannur, and BJP city north unit general secretary, Ashok, were present.