Mahto: New Year promise

Ranchi, Jan. 2: Expressing satisfaction over water quality today, drinking water and sanitation department minister Jaleshwar Mahto promised strict action for those who were responsible for the panic over the quality of water supplied from two of the city?s dams.

Mahto held those who indulged in ?illegal business? responsible for the scare.

?The poor are not affected. Our water caused abdominal pain to those only who were hand in glove with unfair trade practitioners,? said Mahto.

He also said it was wrong to panic over ?misleading information? regarding the supply of water from Kanke and Rukka dams.

?I have set up an inquiry committee as soon as I came to know about the alleged irregularities in supply of potable water. The committee is expected to give its findings within a day or two. I will start taking action the erring officials if any as soon as I will go through the findings,? he added.

According to the minister, officials in his department take all precautions before supplying water to the public.

?Alum, bleaching powder, chlorine and other chemicals required for the purification of water are added properly,? claimed Mahto.

The minister, who admitted to problems at the water filtration plant, said his staff made alternative arrangements to supply pure water in case of the fault.

?Our officials add all chemicals manually to the water so that it remains free from pollutants in case of any fault in the water filtration plant. The practice does not result in any adverse affect in quality,? he added.

When asked about the finger raised on the quality of water by some people, Mahto said it was not possible for him to explain the quality.

?There are lot of parameters to adjudge the quality of water such as its pH value, turbidity and presence of hard chemicals. It is not possible for me to explain all of these factors,? said the minister.

?Those complaining about the quality of water check the facts before raising an alarm,? he added.

The minister said if there would have been any pollution in potable water, reports would have come from various parts of the city.