Chandigarh's Maloya residents grapple with foul water crisis

Indian Express

02-06-2025

Written by : Prisha Arora
Residents of Maloya Colony in Chandigarh's Economically Weaker Section (EWS) housing cluster are battling a persistent crisis of contaminated water, prompting intervention from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which has issued a notice to the Chandigarh Municipal Commissioner seeking a detailed report by June 27.
Complaints about black, foul-smelling, and muddy water have been flooding in for weeks, with multiple families reporting illness, especially among children, due to consuming the supplied water.
Santosh Kumar, 41, a factory labourer who lives with eight family members, described the water as 'completely black and muddy'. 'It smelled terrible. Even after boiling it, my children had been ill for nearly a week,' he said. 'Everyone in the house fell sick — my son had severe stomach problems. We still face skin issues like itching near the eyes.' Though he considered purchasing an RO filter, he said he had to redirect his savings toward his sister's upcoming wedding. 'There was some leakage, but even after they said it was fixed, the water didn't improve.'
Ajit Kumar, a 35-year-old driver, said mornings in his home begin with a half-hour of flushing muddy water from the taps. 'Every morning at 6, the water starts coming. For the first half hour, it's muddy and smells horrible. We have to leave the tap running to flush it out, paani bohot barbaad hota hai,' he said. 'I told Mr. Dilawar and he said he'd inform someone, but nothing happened.'
Ram Minister, 36, who lives with nine family members, said the water issues began around April 20. 'First, I got a fever and stomach issues. Then my wife and kids fell sick. We had no choice but to boil water. The Pradhan helped us and got the leakage fixed. Now, it's a little better, but the past month was very difficult.'
A 45-year-old rickshaw puller, who requested anonymity, said both he and his wife fell seriously ill due to the contaminated supply. 'I try to buy Bisleri for my children, but it's too expensive. I can't afford RO or bottled water. Har insaan ko paani peene ka adhikaar hai. We are not even getting that,' he said. 'Despite repeated complaints, the problem continues. For 45 to 60 minutes every morning, we have to keep the tap open. Sometimes it improves, but then it turns muddy again.'
Rajinder Kumar, 39, a small business owner living with six family members, said the situation has improved slightly. 'For the past five–seven days, the water has been cleaner. But it still turns muddy in the mornings. My children had fallen sick earlier, and we had no option but to boil the water before drinking.'
Councillor Nirmala Devi of Ward 28 (Maloya), who is also the spokesperson for the Chandigarh Congress, was unavailable for comment. Her husband Dilawar, speaking on her behalf, said the water supply system had not yet been fully handed over to the Municipal Corporation. 'The implementation is still pending,' he said. 'We visited the booster and found clean water there. At the Housing Board, they said it's the MC's job. The MC said the Housing Board should handle it. Eventually, both chief engineers joined me, and we discovered a leakage in the pipeline.'
Officials claim that the problem is now restricted to two–three buildings out of 13–14, and some repair work has been initiated. However, the absence of clear accountability has only deepened the frustration of residents.
With the NHRC now directly involved, pressure is mounting on the authorities to implement a long-term, coordinated solution. Until then, the residents of Maloya continue to grapple with a basic, unmet necessity — the right to clean drinking water.
(The writer is an intern with The Indian Express)