Mangaluru water contamination: HC asks IISc to submit report

Mangaluru: Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru has been directed by the Karnataka High Court on Thursday to form a committee to analyze the quality of drinking water in Mangaluru and submit a report.

The order was passed amid the contradictory reports filed by the Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB).

The report filed by KSPCB dated August 24, 2021 had found that the water was not fit for human consumption and recommended immediate remedial measures.

However, Senior counsel Dhyan Chinnappa, appearing for the MCC,  said that an earlier report by the KSPCB claimed that the water was contaminated and not fit for human consumption, a subsequent report stated otherwise.

Also, regular testing is being done and the pollution level in water was found within the standard limits and is not poisonous, he said.

The bench said that since the reports are contradictory, an independent agency i.e. IISc will conduct testing of water supplied to the city at various levels including the entry and exit of the dam. It has directed the IISc team to visit the places within 15 days and submit the report in a sealed cover.

KSPCB and the MCC have been asked to provide the required assistance to them.

Also, the MCC submitted that a tender process for the purpose of shifting legacy waste from the Pacchanadi dumping yard has been initiated.

The bench has directed the MCC to finalize the tender process and start the work. The matter has been posted to November 30.

The court is hearing the PIL  filed by the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA) on various issues after the August 2019 disaster when a heap of solid waste Pachchnadi slid engulfing at least four houses, a couple of temples and 18 acres of farmland.