PHED officers claim clean water supplied in Jaisalmer, reality check tells another story

Jaisalmer: With the recent cases of people falling ill due to contaminated water in some colonies of Jaipur, Jaisalmer too is on alert. The government has alerted departments to be very careful about supplying drinking water and also said that carelessness will not be tolerated at any cost. Despite this, officers of public health engineering department (PHED) in many districts have not taken the matter seriously.
A reality check in Jaisalmer city was done, which came up with some surprising truths about violation of the government orders over supply of drinking water.
The five tanks at Suli Dungar that supply drinking water to Jaisalmer city were checked. They were found to be extremely dirty with sludge and dozens of dead lizards floating in the water. This water is supplied to city residents for drinking purposes. Similarly, another tank did not have a lid and the water inside was green in colour with several small dead animals in it. The PHED, however, claimed that teh water supplied in the city is clean.
According to sources, the water tanks have not been cleaned for 8-10 years. It is mandatory to write the date of cleaing of the tanks, however, they have hardly been cleaned ever since these tanks were constructed.
The water is filtered at Gajrupsagar and then collected in these five tanks, which is meant for supply to the entire city.
When the officers concerned were asked about the government's strict orders and if they were following them, some were found sleeping in their offices. They gave irrelevant answers on seeing the reporter. When AEN R K Singh was contacted, he too was found sleeping in his office. He had to be woken up. He accepted that the tanks had not been cleaned for a year. However, he said that the tanks will be cleaned in the next 10-15 days.