Water From Iron Tankers Raise Health Concerns
"We just rinse the tanker with water before we start the day, that’s all”: A private tanker driver.
HYDERABAD: As Hyderabad continues to depend on private water tankers, users are raising concerns over the cleanliness of private water tankers, especially those using iron tankers for supply without any proper cleaning protocols.
Most private operators use iron tankers for water supply. As there are no guidelines imposed on private tankers they are often used without regular cleaning or inspection. Iron tankers can get rusted and if not cleaned properly, they are at risk of contamination due to bacterial or fungal growth inside the tanks.
Private tanker drivers admit they don’t follow any fixed cleaning process; they simply rinse the tankers with water before starting their day. “We just rinse the tanker with water before we start the day, that’s all,” said Ramesh Goud (name changed), a private tanker driver. “We don’t use any cleaning powder or chemicals, the tankers are cleaned during servicing and we take them to servicing once in two months.”
“I use both GI (galvanised iron) and iron tankers,” said another operator. “GI tankers are better, they don’t form rust easily and are safer. But even for the iron tankers, we send them for servicing at least once a month. We try to keep them clean, but there’s no fixed method we follow every day.”
“We just wash the tanker with some water before we fill it; it is our usual routine,” said Sheshadri. K. “There’s no rule, so everyone does it in their way. I operate on a smaller scale and don’t get enough on an everyday basis, so we just use water.”
Many residents are now concerned about the hygiene and maintenance of these tankers. “I have personally experienced how bad it can get,” said Sai Koushik. “When we were living in an apartment earlier, the water from the tanker started smelling foul and we even noticed visible dirt in it. After that, we immediately switched to another tanker agency. That’s when I realised how little we actually know about where the water comes from and how clean those tankers really are.”
“We really don’t know how clean the inside of these tankers are. From the outside, they all look the same, but what’s happening inside, we have no idea,” said Mahesh Reddy, a frequent user of water tankers. “Now, most people are only worried about whether water is arriving or not; no one is stopping to think if the water is actually safe or how clean it is maintained.”
People raised concerns that it's hard to know how clean these tankers really are with no fixed cleaning methods.