Bandicoot found in drinking water tank, says councillor

A member of the ruling Congress sent shock waves in the monthly meeting of the Mangaluru City Corporation council on Monday when she said that a dead bandicoot was found in the underground drinking water tank at Pachchanady pump house recently.

An engineer of the corporation in-charge of water supply said it was a small rat. Councillor Kavitha Sanil alleged that some weak cement slabs used as cover of the tank have fallen down making the wide holes visible.

Concern over safety

She expressed concern over the quality of drinking water being supplied to the city and the safety of the people using it.

Ms. Sanil said that when she visited the pump house, the staff there gave an “irresponsible reply” that bodies float in the Nethravathi which supplied drinking water to the city and compared to it the incident at Pachchanady was a small one.

The engineer said that it was a small rat but the councillor argued that it was a bandicoot. Mayor Jacintha Vijaya Alfred asked the Deputy Commissioner (Development) and the Superintending Engineer N. Shiva Shankar Swami to conduct and inquiry to it and take steps to cover the tank properly.

Some members representing Ashoknagar, Central Market, Kodical and Panchchanady alleged that water supply in their areas was irregular.

Deepak K. Poojary, chairman, standing committee for town planning and improvement said that inter-ward transfer of valvemen would be done soon.

Charge against the company

Some members alleged that the company, which has been assigned the contract of solid waste management for seven years, was not cleaning the roadside drains. BJP member Premananda Shetty alleged that the company was not collecting garbage from commercial establishments, including shops.

Hence many shop owners were dumping garbage on the roadside. A member asked why the corporation was still keeping garbage bins on roadside as they should have been removed now to ensure proper door-to-door collection of solid waste.

Engineer in-charge of water supply says it

was a rat

‘It was found in the underground drinking water tank at Pachchanady pump house’