According to National Coalition of Humanitarian Agencies of India (NCHAI), water sources which remained inundated in flood waters are likely to get contaminated.
The team of the NCHAI carried out the secondary data analysis in the backdrop of the last year September floods.
According to Kashmir News Service (KNS) the findings of the team have revealed that 63.9 per cent of the households get tap water of which only 34.7 per cent get it from treated (dependable and clean) sources in Kashmir. 29.2 per cent of the households get tap water from untreated sources and 6.7 per cent fetch water from rivers and canals.
Against this, in the neighbouring states like Punjab and Haryana, the percentage of population receiving treated tap water is far higher than the J&K.
In Chandigarh around 97 percent population has access to potable water of which 94 percent consume water from treated sources.
The team has predicted that due to repeated floods in the Valley, most of the water sources remain inundated and are likely to get contaminated.
The analysis of the team says that there is a risk of outbreak of waterborne diseases due to floods as there is a shortage of safe drinking water.
The NCHAI has quoted a Census report, which says out of 20,15,088 households in the state, 9,83,791 did not have latrine facilities on their premises, this results in a high risk of contamination of all water sources.
“61.4 percent of households do not have a latrine facility in rural areas against 12.5 percent of households in urban areas. 58 percent of the rural population practices open defecation,” the report says.
It says the overflow of pit latrines and sanitation practices continue to be at risk during floods.
The report says that government sources also indicate that groundwater was contaminated which may indicate a need for continued water treatment or longer term solutions.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
There has been sharp increase in water borne diseases for the past several years which according to various health reports broke out due to consumption of contaminated water.
Medical experts are of the opinion that the percentage of people in J&K suffering from various abdominal disorders, including liver and kidney ailments are the result of consumption of untreated water.
Around 80 water testing laboratories are operational in the state. However, sources said the water quality monitoring was not being done properly.
The Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has also sanctioned two state level and one regional drinking water testing laboratories for the state in the wake that unfiltered and contaminated water was being supplied to the people.
Officials said government should upgrade the already existing infrastructure in laboratories to ensure that filtered water was supplied to the people.
They say raw water was being collected from Nallahs directly at several places and was being supplied to the public without getting it passed though the filtration plants.
It is mandatory that all the drinking water sources to be tested once in every year for chemical contamination and twice for bacteriological contamination.
The secondary data analysis report says 14.7 percent of households (248,000 houses) have mud walls. "32 percent of rural households use grass/ thatch/ bamboo or wood for roofing materials. 60 percent of rural households use mud for floors."
It has warned that rains damage to shelter with mud walls, semi-permanent shelters, with likely structural damages and major damage is expected in rural areas. (KNS)