• Source:JND

The rapid expansion of Kanpur along the banks of the Ganga has brought prosperity, but it has also exposed severe weaknesses in the water supply and sanitation infrastructure. Decades-old pipelines, many laid during the British era, are failing under increasing demand, leaving residents vulnerable to contaminated drinking water.

A major issue has emerged in densely populated localities, where thousands of illegal water connections pass through drains. Leaks in these pipelines are allowing sewage to mix with drinking water, putting approximately 3 lakh residents across 50 localities at risk of consuming “slow poison.” Areas particularly affected include Lal Colony, Ambedkar Nagar, Juhi Bamburhiya, Koperganj, Gandhinagar, Chamanganj, Beconganj, Kuli Bazaar, Parade, Hiraman Ka Purwa, Rizvi Road, Phool Wali Gali, Govind Nagar, and several others.

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The problem is further compounded by the absence of sewer lines in nearly 40% of the city, especially in Kalyanpur Khurd, Kala, Pashupati Nagar, Damodar Nagar, Gopal Nagar, Juhi Garha, Rakhi Mandi, Saraimita, Chandra Nagar, Harbansh Mohalla, Gujaini, and over 150 illegal settlements and 349 slums. In these areas, residents rely on septic tanks for sewage disposal, which, when located near hand pumps and submersible groundwater sources, are contaminating drinking water.

Waterlogging during the rainy season, rusted iron pipes, and frequent tampering of main pipelines for illegal connections are worsening the crisis. Many residents in Nanaramou, Jajmau, and Panki also face contaminated water due to unregulated wastewater disposal.

City authorities have acknowledged the situation, with the Municipal Corporation and Jalkal Department taking steps to address the issue. However, experts warn that the system, dependent on century-old Bhairoghat pumping station (1894) and Motijheel reservoir (1906), along with treatment plants in Ganga Barrage and Gujaini, is under severe stress.

Residents can report water-related issues to the Jalkal control room at 9235553827 or the Municipal Corporation at 0512-2526004 / 2526005. Executive Engineers overseeing zones are:

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-Jalkal: Zone 1 - Rajkumar, Zone 2 - JP Gupta, Zone 3 - Nand Kishore, Zone 4 - Anil Kumar, Zone 5 - Ishwar Singh, Zone 6 - Mohammad Shamim

-Municipal Corporation: Zone 1 - RK Tiwari, Zone 2 - Diwakar Bhaskar, Zone 3 - Rajesh Kumar, Zone 4 - Meenakshi Agarwal, Zone 5 - Kamlesh Patel, Zone 6 - RK Singh

With half the city still lacking proper sewerage, residents are being urged to exercise caution and report leaks or contamination to authorities promptly.


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