GMC water supply worker found in filter tank

Guwahati: A 30-year-old worker of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) water wing was found dead inside a filter tank at the Satpukhuri treatment plant, police said on Friday. The plant is located near the Lok Bhawan.

The body was recovered from the filter tank, where water is filtered after being treated, before being sent to the reservoir for supply. The deceased has been identified as Jame Kashem. Police have detained three other GMC workers who were on duty with the deceased on Thursday night at the plant.

Latasil police station OC Jyotishman Neog said, “A police team reached the plant soon after Raj Bhawan security officials informed us about the incident and recovered the body around 8 pm on Thursday. The body was sent to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital for an autopsy.”

He added that an investigation has been initiated to find out how the person fell into the filter tank or if there is any foul play involved.

A source from the GMC water supply wing said, “The deceased was a worker of GMC’s water wing. However, it is yet to be confirmed if he was on duty on Thursday night.”

The source added that after the body was recovered, operations at the treatment plant were stopped. “The filter tank will now be cleaned completely and sanitised before operations start again. This may affect the water supply in some parts of the city. However, the impact will be less as Guwahati Jal Board now supplies water to households in a huge part of the city. As per the govt policy, GMC has withdrawn water supply in many areas after the Guwahati Jal Board started supplying water under the South Central Guwahati water project,” the source added.

The Satpukhuri water treatment plant is about 96 year old. It was commissioned in 1930 and then renovated in 1984. The designed capacity of the WTP was 22.5 MLD, which has gone down to about 15 MLD now.

This plant covers various areas including Uzan Bazar, Kharghuli, Chenikuthi, Guwahati Club, Silpukhuri, Nabagraha, Dighalipukhuri, Nizarapar, Chandmari, Hedayetpur, Milanpur, Bamunimaidam and Rajgarh Road. The reservoir of the Satpukhuri water treatment plant is located on the top of the Navagraha hill, from where the water is supplied.