For last 19 yrs people in this J'khand village are drinking 'drain water'

Villagers of Paratand in Jharkhand's Chatra district are forced to drink water from drains. When ETV Bharat reached the village head, she first responded by saying that she's not aware of such a problem, later she has assured to make necessary arrangements for drinking water within 24 hours in the village.

Chatra (Jharkhand):Even as the government is spending crores of rupees in search of water on the moon, it does little when it comes to the water available in the Paratand village, situated around 141km from the capital city Ranchi.

Although India made rapid developments over the span of several decades in the availability and improving the quality of municipal drinking water, large areas of Paratand village are left out. The situation is so pathetic that both humans and animals drink water from the same place.

During the Lok Sabha poll poll campaign in 2014 and 2019, politicians across the parties promised to provide water facility in the village in 10 days of they come to power.

After winning the elections, politicians, however, have this to say: "We have talked to the officials, but they say, Paratand village is severely affected by the Naxals. So, it will take some time.”

The condition has further worsened as the villagers in the scheduled tribe-dominated who were forced to drink contaminated water from the river are now drinking water from drains.

Urmila Devi, a villager said, "The village has a Jalminar and a hand pump but it has been out of use for the last five years. Due to administrative neglect, people are forced to drink contaminated water from the river that comes from the forest and a drain. The villagers drink contaminated water because they want to live, even if that meant their lives are spent on the shadow of illness.”

According to another villager Somar Bhuyan, neither the head of the panchayat nor the peoples' representatives are taking any initiative to address this problem.

When ETV Bharat took up the matter to the head of the panchayat Mukta Pandey, she first responded by saying that she's not aware of such a problem, later she has assured to make necessary arrangements for drinking water within 24 hours in the village.

The main question arises how is it possible that the head of the panchayat is not aware of the problem that the villagers are facing the same problem for the last 19 years.