Avoid Using Jatinga River Water for Now Due to Formalin Spill, Says Dima Hasao DC

Our Correspondent

HAFLONG: The District Commissioner of Dima Hasao, Gayatri Devidas Hyalinge, has appealed to the public not to panic while urging residents living along the Jatinga River to refrain from using its water for the next few days following a formalin spill caused by a tanker accident near Jatinga Bridge on National Highway-27.

Addressing the media on Friday, the District Commissioner said that people residing in villages along the river should avoid using the river water for drinking, cooking, household purposes, bathing, or watering livestock until further notice. She said that the district administration is closely monitoring the situation and taking all necessary measures to safeguard public health.

To ensure public safety, the administration has launched awareness campaigns in all affected villages through public announcements. Village headmen have also been instructed to inform residents about the precautionary measures and ensure strict adherence to the advisory.

The accident took place at around 4:00 p.m. on Thursday near Jatinga Bridge on the Haflong-Silchar stretch of NH-27. The tanker, bearing registration number NL-01AE-3886, was transporting formalin from Namrup to Tripura when it met with the accident. As a result, formalin leaked from two compartments of the tanker and entered a nearby stream that eventually flowed into the Jatinga River.

The tanker driver, identified as Saiful Haque, sustained critical injuries in the accident and was rushed to Haflong Civil Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Considering the hazardous nature of formalin, the district administration has advised residents living along the Jatinga River, from Jatinga Bridge to Harangajao, not to use the river water for drinking, cooking, domestic activities, bathing, irrigation, or for livestock until the water quality is tested and declared safe.

District Commissioner Gayatri Devidas Hyalinge stated that the advisory has been issued purely as a precautionary measure to protect public health, livestock, aquatic life, and the surrounding environment. She reiterated that there is no need for panic and urged the public to cooperate with the administration by strictly following the advisory until further notice.

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