Muzaffarpur, Bihar, January 17, 2026: A bizarre controversy has emerged under Bihar’s “Har Ghar Nal-Jal” scheme, as a water tank constructed inside a crematorium has left nearly 2,000 villagers reluctant to use the water for drinking or cooking. The tank, built within the Khabra Panchayat’s Ward No. 4 by the PHED department and local representatives, is now supplying water to homes, but villagers are avoiding it due to religious and social concerns.
Residents said that using water sourced from a crematorium—where bodies are cremated—is culturally and religiously unacceptable. They questioned why a sensitive location was chosen when public land was available elsewhere. Villagers allege that the Panchayat and concerned departments decided the site without consulting the local community.
Ward Secretary Pappu Das said that ₹26 lakh was allocated for the project, but villagers’ objections at the time of construction were ignored. Local leaders Priyam Priya and Pankaj Kumar Ojha stated that hundreds of families are struggling for safe drinking water.
Ward councillors Anita Devi, Virendra Kumar, and Sushil Kumar added that PHED officials have not addressed the issue. They suggested that water could have been supplied from the nearby Ward No. 3 instead. A complaint has also reached MLA Baby Kumari, who called the site selection “highly objectionable” and said she would report the matter to PHED Minister Sanjay Kumar Singh, assuring that a full investigation would be conducted.
Villagers have warned they may launch a protest during the Chief Minister’s “Samriddhi Yatra” if the tank is not relocated.
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