Despite the recent deaths linked to contaminated drinking water in Indore, the Raipur Municipal Corporation is facing sharp criticism for failing to avert a similar public health risk in the Chhattisgarh capital. In the Kachna Housing Board area and adjoining localities, residents allege that foul-smelling and visibly polluted water has been supplied through household taps for over a month, triggering widespread anxiety over a potential health crisis.
According to residents, repeated complaints to the municipal corporation, Zone No. 9 officials and engineering staff have failed to yield any concrete action. Locals attribute the problem to the severely deteriorated sewerage and drainage system in the area. Several drains and chambers remain clogged or uncovered, while drinking water pipelines reportedly pass dangerously close to open sewer lines, raising fears of sewage contamination entering the potable water supply.
The situation has led to persistent stench across the locality, with residents warning that Raipur could face an Indore-like tragedy if urgent corrective measures are not taken. “For a month, the problem has remained unchanged. Officials come, inspect and leave, but no work is done. During elections, everyone listens. After that, we are forgotten,” said Sulekha, a local resident, adding that open drainage chambers have also caused frequent accidents involving pedestrians and animals.
Attempts to contact the local ward councillor and Zone 9 chairman, Gopesh Sahu, were unsuccessful. Zone Commissioner Anshul Sharma said cleaning work was underway, and senior officers were monitoring the situation, but declined to provide further details. No senior official’s contact was shared till the filing of this report.
Mayor Meenal Choubey claimed that the issues had been resolved and clean water was being supplied. However, residents disputed this, stating that while municipal staff visited the area on Sunday morning, no substantive repair or cleaning work had begun, and the supply of contaminated water continued.
The Congress has accused the civic administration of complacency. Senior spokesperson Dhananjay Thakur said that more than 15 deaths in Indore due to polluted water should have served as a wake-up call. “Raipur has seen outbreaks of jaundice and cholera in the past. Water from taps and borewells must be tested across all wards, and accountability must be fixed instead of issuing statements,” he said.
Residents have warned that unless a comprehensive inspection of the drinking water and drainage network is carried out and strict action taken against negligent officials and contractors, the capital risks sliding into a preventable public health emergency.