New Delhi

Incessant rainfall over the past week has led to water contamination in Vasant Kunj’s C-9 Block, residents alleged, citing dirty supply over the past three to four days and developing ailments among residents of the locality. They said sewer lines were overflowing, causing it to mix with the regular water supply.

There are 926 flats in the block and the number of residents is estimated to be between 3,500 and 4,000, by taking an average of four people per household.

“We have not been able to use the water from our tanks since Friday night. It smells horrible, and one can tell that it is sewer water. After we initially learnt that it is contaminated, we emptied and cleaned our tank, and since then, have not turned on our motors,” said Sangeeta Bhatia, 54, a resident of C-9 Block.

The Delhi Jal Board did not respond to requests for comment.

Residents said that the water colour changed to murky brown on Friday night, but may have caused illness among those who consumed it before then. “By the time the smell started coming from the water from our taps on Friday night, my family members and I had already used it to brush our teeth. Even that was enough to make us fall sick. Since last night, my 83-year-old mother and I have been vomiting and experiencing diarrhoea,” said 53-year-old resident Ruchi Bhatiya.

Residents said they have been meeting water needs by calling for tankers and purchasing large quantities of water commercially. They, however, said that due to low availability of tankers, there is infighting among residents over tanker priority.

“The number of tankers which are coming to the locality is fewer than the number of tankers required. As the distribution is also not planned well, residents are fighting with each other over the tankers, with each resident wanting their overhead tank to be filled first. We need the DJB to resolve this issue quickly, as many illnesses can spread in the locality due to the water, and a situation of panic currently exists in Block C-9,” said Rajesh Panwar, the chairman of the federation of Vasant Kunj RWAs.

Children have been the worst affected, residents said.

“I have a 10-year-old son and a 14-year-old daughter, who are both sick due to the water. I had to take my son to the hospital on Saturday, as he was experiencing severe vomiting, diarrhoea, and headaches. Even my father and mother, who are 70 and 60 years old, have had the same illnesses since Friday,” said Bhupendar Singh, 38, another resident.

“For the past 15-20 days, the sewer lines near gates 6 and 7 in our colony have been overflowing. We think that due to this, there is water backflow, mixing with the water entering our tanks,” said Mausami Bhattarcharya, the president of the C-9 Block residents’ welfare association (RWA).