Avinash Azad
Jammu city is sitting on a ticking time bomb, and the authorities appear to be looking the other way. At the Samadain Road pumping station, negligence of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department has turned a critical water facility into what locals and staff describe as a “ghost house” — unsafe, unattended and extremely dangerous.
On the ground, the situation is alarming. Damaged electric power supply wires with broken insulators are lying exposed, some of them dipped in stagnant water inside the pumping station premises. These are live wires, unmanned and unsecured, posing a constant threat of electrocution. A major electric circuit supplying power to the motors is reportedly damaged, yet no urgent repairs have been undertaken.
Waterlogging inside and around the pumping station has worsened the danger. To make matters worse, foam and foul discharge are emerging from a nearby septic manhole, raising serious concerns of sewerage mixing with groundwater. Despite this, water from this very source continues to be supplied to large parts of Jammu city.
Shockingly, the same contaminated water supply caters not only to ordinary residents but also to the residences of the Chief Minister, ministers, the Chief Secretary and other senior bureaucrats located around Residency Road, Jammu. If contamination at such a key pumping station is ignored, it puts the entire city at risk.
Health experts warn that such negligence could trigger a tragedy similar to the Indore incident in Madhya Pradesh, where dozens of people lost their lives after consuming water contaminated with sewerage. At Samadain Road, the conditions suggest that history could repeat itself if immediate action is not taken.
Even more disturbing is the risk faced daily by PHE staff posted at the pumping station. With no proper safety measures in place, workers are forced to hold damaged so-called insulated electric cables with wooden sticks just to enter the pump room, switch on motors and supervise water supply. A large loop of live electric wire lies on the ground, submerged in water — a clear recipe for disaster.
These workers are literally risking their lives to ensure water supply to lakhs of Jammu residents, while the authorities responsible for maintenance and safety remain indifferent. The Samadain Road pumping station today stands as a symbol of official apathy — contaminated water, exposed live wires and human lives pushed to the edge. If the administration does not act now, it will not just be negligence, but a crime waiting to happen. Chief Engineer, Mohd Hanief, PHE Jammu, did not respond to repeated phone calls for his official version. If any response is received from the authorities, the same will be updated.
