25 villages in Himachal CM's constituency face water shortage due to sewage in ravine

People living in about 25 villages in Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur district faced drinking water shortages on Saturday as six potable water supply schemes were stopped following the detection of sewage in the Kunah ravine, officials said here.

Superintending Engineer of the Hamirpur Jal Shakti department Neeraj Bhogal said some unidentified people threw septic tank filth near the crusher of the Kunah ravine in the Jol Sappar area.

As soon as the water of the ravine was found to be polluted on Friday evening, the drinking water schemes of this area were immediately stopped and a police complaint was lodged, he said.

The affected villages come under the Nadaun assembly segment, which is represented in the assembly by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

The chief minister has taken note of the situation and sought a detailed report from the deputy commissioner and senior officials of the Jal Shakti department and directed them to resolve the issue at the earliest.

Bhogal said police are making efforts to nab those responsible for the incident.

He recalled that 1,029 people had suffered from diarrhoea last year in the same area due to contaminated water.