Cachar administration advises residents not to use Jatinga River water for two days over formalin contamination fears

The Cachar District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has issued a public advisory asking residents living along the Jatinga River not to use its water for the next two days following fears of formalin contamination after a tanker accident.

According to the administration, a tanker carrying formalin met with an accident near the Jatinga Bridge on July 4. Authorities suspect that a portion of the chemical may have leaked into the river, prompting precautionary measures to safeguard public health.

As formalin is a hazardous chemical, the district administration has advised people not to drink or use the river water for cooking, avoid entering the river, and refrain from allowing livestock to consume the water for the next 48 hours.

The administration has also directed the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department to temporarily suspend water extraction from its drinking water project in the Barkhola Assembly constituency, which draws water from the Jatinga River, to eliminate any potential health risk.

Officials said the situation is being closely monitored, and residents have been urged to strictly follow the advisory until further notice.