A potentially catastrophic incident was narrowly averted in a remote village of Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla district after an alert resident detected a foul smell in the drinking water, leading to the discovery
of toxic contamination in a community water tank.
The incident occurred in Breshtu village in the Tikker area of Rohru subdivision, where around 200 people live across nearly 30 households. According to officials, an unidentified person allegedly mixed a harmful substance, believed to be a pesticide used in apple orchards, into the main drinking water tank supplying the village.
Police have registered a case and launched an investigation. Preliminary testing confirmed the presence of a toxic chemical in the water, which officials said could have proved fatal if consumed.
The contamination came to light on Sunday afternoon when Adarsh Sharma, a resident of Breshtu, noticed a strong and unusual smell while opening a tap to drink water. Sensing something was wrong, he immediately alerted neighbours and informed the Jal Shakti Department. Soon, other villagers also reported the same foul odour in their water supply.
Acting swiftly, officials from the department rushed to the village, emptied the main storage tank, and collected water samples for testing. As a precautionary measure, both the central tank and household storage tanks were drained and cleaned to prevent any health risk.
According to officials, initial reports indicated that the water had been mixed with a pesticide commonly used in apple orchards to protect crops from pests. If consumed accidentally, such chemicals can be highly dangerous and even fatal.
SDO Bhupendra Kumar of the Jal Shakti Department confirmed that traces of an apple pesticide were detected in the samples. On Monday, the preliminary examination report established that the water was highly contaminated and not fit for drinking.
An FIR was registered at Rohru police station on February 10, two days after the incident, following a preliminary report by the Jal Shakti Department confirming contamination, according to an Indian Express report. Shimla SP Gaurav Singh said that the investigation is underway and efforts are being made to identify the person responsible for the act.
DSP (Rohru) Pranav Chauhan told The Indian Express that Sharma first detected the severe stench in the water on the afternoon of February 8 and raised an alarm, after which villagers gathered and found the same issue across multiple homes. He added that during spot inspection, it was found that the water tank had been nearly empty earlier that day.
In his complaint, Sharma stated that he noticed the strong smell while having lunch and immediately alerted nearby residents. He urged authorities to take strict action against those responsible for contaminating the water supply.
Former BJP minister Suresh Bhardwaj described the incident as serious and unfortunate, calling it a malicious act and a threat to public safety. He said the prompt response by villagers and the water department prevented a major health crisis. He also praised Sharma for his presence of mind, saying his alertness helped save the entire village from a potential tragedy and set an example for society.
