Thrissur, February 5: In a shock to residents of a housing complex in Chalakkudy near Kerala's Thrissur district, the tap water in their houses smelled and tasted like liquor. The matter came to fore when Joshy Maliyekkal, the owner of an apartment complex near Chalakudy bus stand, switched on the motor to fill the water tank and noticed a foul smell. Concerned families residing in the area then visited the well from where they get potable water. List of Dry Days of 2020 in India: Check Complete Dry Days Calendar With Dates When Alcohol Will Not Be Available for Sale in India.

It emerged that excise officials and a bar owner had emptied confiscated liquor in a pit they had dug up in a compound of a bar nearby. Due to this, it appears, the tap water reeked and tasted of liquor. "The excise officials dumped over 4,500 litres of liquor in a pit. However, they failed to check the area around it. The officials were unaware that there was a well nearby," deputy excise commissioner T K Sanu told Times of India.

The well had been cleaned eight times but the tap water continued to smell and taste like liquor. "We have been providing drinking water to the affected families for the past two days with the help of Chalakkudy municipality. We cleaned the well eight times. We will provide drinking water to the affected families until the matter gets resolved," Sanu was quoted as saying.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 05, 2020 04:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).