CAIRO: The construction of new water pipes by the government in a village in Qaliubiya is complete and the pipes are ready to pump water, an official report indicated. 

After an outbreak of typhoid in Al-Baradah village, caused by contaminated drinking water, the government laid down new pipes that are in line with the highest safety standards.

The report, issued by a committee formed by the public prosecutor, also cleared the contractor of the pipes of charges of polluting the water in the old water pipes.

The statement explained that it is “practically impossible for the contractor to pump sewage water inside the pipes.”

It added that if that were the case, the central water pipe as well as the water pipes in all the surrounding villages would have also been contaminated.

The report further indicated that the contamination could have resulted from connecting the water pipes to an old water network, without purifying the water, adding that it could have also been the result of illegal plumbing by some residents to directly link the pipes to their homes.

In related news, the prosecution office ordered the detainment of some officials in Al-Baradah village for four days pending investigations.

The detainees include chairman of Al-Baradah’s local council Ibrahim Abdel Moemen, Salah Eddin Al-Seman, in charge of the village’s resources, Sayed Madbouly and Salam Al-Sayed, in charge of the village’s water pipes.

When typhoid erupted last month, Adly Hussein, governor of Qaliubiya, accused the contractor of polluting the drinking water in the pipes.

Two months ago, around 311 people in Al-Baradah were infected with typhoid, but all have recovered.