SHILLONG, Feb 18: Water from the effluent tank of Shillong Civil Hospital gushing into an adjacent drain at Laban has raised eyebrows but the hospital authorities have allayed apprehensions, saying that the water has been treated safe.
“The water is already treated in the effluent tank and we have proposed to the engineering wing to construct an extra tank so that we can collect the water and reuse it in the toilets,” Superintendent and Joint Director of Shillong Civil Hospital, Andreas Dkhar, said on Thursday.
On the foul odour emanating from the drain, Dkhar said, “Since the water is already treated with chemicals there might be some odour”.
Enquired if the water is hazardous, Dkhar said, “It would have been hazardous before when we did not have the effluent tank but now all liquid wastes are treated. Solid wastes are collected by the municipal staff while liquid waste is collected in the tank and treated with chemicals before being released into the drain”.
Sanda Kharsati, in-charge of the effluent treatment plant (ETP), said, “Before releasing the water into the ETP, the respective departments also treat it with sodium hypochlorite solution. Since the water is also treated with chemical bleach and alum there might be some foul odour in the water”.
However, vendors have a different story to tell. Nicholas Lyngdoh, who sells fruits next to the compound wall of the hospital, said, “We do not have much problem. It is just that the smell is really foul and since we sit here almost the entire day, it becomes unbearable. I hope it is not harmful to our health.”
Another vendor, Bobita Das, said, “This has been going on for months now and despite our trouble we have no one to listen to our plight. We just want to focus on earning our livelihood.”
