Ahmedabad: A routine cleaning of an Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) water tank turned alarming on Wednesday when suspected human bones were found inside the underground tank at the Asarwa village pumping station. Cleaning of the 80 lakh litre tank was initiated following 10 days of complaints from residents about foul-smelling water.The development assumes significance as the pumping station supplies 85 million litres per day (MLD) of water to a population of over 40,000 in Asarwa village and nearby areas.The suspected human remains were removed from the tank in presence of the police and sent to forensic science laboratory (FSL) for examination to establish whether they are human or animal bones. No police complaint was registered till Thursday evening.Residents said the foul odour from water supplied from the pumping station had been noticed for several days. Water supply from the station had been suspended for the past two days following the discovery.Sanjay Patel, president of Asarwa Youth Circle and a local resident, said, “For the last 10 days, foul-smelling water was coming through the taps. Yesterday, while cleaning the pumping station’s water tank, a skeleton was found.”Patel said he visited the pumping station after learning about the discovery. “Water supply was not provided yesterday, nor was it supplied today morning. Yesterday, the skeleton was removed from the water tank. Strict action should be taken against such negligence,” he said.He also sought tighter security at the facility, saying, “If anyone can drop something into a drinking water tank, imagine how many people could fall victim under such circumstances.”AMC additional engineer Yashwant Prabhakar said routine cleaning of the underground tank was scheduled on Sept 23 by contractor Krunal Builders. During cleaning, a sanitation worker noticed bone-like objects inside the tank.AMC officials said the remaining water was subsequently drained. The tank was cleaned and its walls and bottom treated with potassium permanganate before being washed and drained again. The tank has since been refilled, with officials stating that proper chlorination levels were ensured.
