Iritty:  In a shocking finding, the municipal health wing here discovered that several shops in the town had been operating using water from a waste-filled, polluted well. Health officials disconnected the pipes that drew water from the well to the overhead tanks in the building and banned further use of the contaminated water. A few stalls, including meat shops operating from a two-storied building near the Iritty stand, were found to be using this water.

The well from which the water was being drawn was covered with wild vegetation, and waste dumped by fruit and vegetable vendors, as well as street hawkers, had accumulated around it. The health wing had received reports that, in some instances, waste was being dumped directly into the well. The health wing team, led by Iritty Municipal Clean City Manager K.V. Rajeev, located the well after an extensive search. Due to the thick overgrowth, finding the well proved difficult.

The overhead tank in the building, which sourced water from the well, was also found to be highly contaminated. Accordingly, the health wing disconnected the pipe connections from the well to the tank and from the tank to the building. Shop owners were given strict instructions not to use water from the well any longer.

Shops selling chips, fruits, and vegetables along the road near the stand were also inspected. Instructions were issued to discard stale oil used for making chips, and banned plastic covers were seized. Public Health Inspector A S Sandeep and municipal worker P Santhosh also participated in the inspection.