People are forced to drink polluted water in Chapra

Chapra,28 June,2019 (HS) About fifty thousand population of different wards under Chapra Nagar Nigam are forced to drink polluted water as the water level has gone down, and Khanva Nala has become polluted and near defunct. Earlier boring of forty to fifty feet used to give pure and frsh water, but now, even 100 to 150 feet boring is proving to be futile. Drainage system, Khanva Nala, constructed during Mughal period by Raja Todarmal, criss crosses township ares through 20 wards. But at most places, it has become victim of encroachment and in dilapidated condition The silt has filled it and the only source of out pouring the dirty water is proving useless. Eighty percent of Nala has been encroached upon. People of those wards say that due to this even deep boring of 100 to 150 feet is not yielding favourable results. National Green Tribunal and State Pollution Control Board have also expressed concern over this. Talk of demolishing encroachments and maintain it in better ways was done but any initiative in this regard is still awaited. This Khanva Nala was source of irrigation at the time of overflowing of rivers and drainage when the level of rivers remain low. Many inhabitants of those wards like Nitesh Kumar, Rohit and others expressed that if the Khanva Nala is maintained effectively, people would get fresh drinking water and problem of water logging in township area will be solved. At one time it was used as canal and even elephants were bathed in it. But now it has narrowed down with silt filling larger length. Green Tribunal has already ordered to demolish the encroachmentd over it and put it back in its earlier shape, but the administration is yet to take any positive step towards this.