Drink this: over 1,600 bacteria in our water

Smitha Rao / TNN / Sep 18, 2006, 23:06 IST

Text Size

Small
Medium
Large

For months now, taps across parts of south Bangalore have been unleashing mossy brown, smelly water.

Drink this: over 1,600 bacteria in our water

BANGALORE: About 1,600 bacteria per 100 millilitres — this is the quality of water that has been reaching households across south and east Bangalore. And this is the very water that is being consumed every day.
For months now, taps across parts of south Bangalore have been unleashing mossy brown, smelly water. Alarmed by the thick black residue and floating particles in the water, some residents got water samples analysed at a lab.
The bacteriological analysis of the sample, conducted by the department of mines and geology, state groundwater cell, has thrown up damning results.
The verdict: highly contaminated. The statistics speak better — Total coliforms: >1600 mpn/100 ml; Faecal Coliforms: >1600 mpn/100 ml. (mpn — most probable number.)

This is the kind of highly contaminated water flowing into homes at Lalbagh main road, Chamarajpet, Sarjapur Road and a few other areas.
Explains Samuel Krupakaran, a resident of Lalbagh main road: "We have brought this to the attention of BWSSB many times. An engineer finally landed at our house, just looked at the water, declared it was clean and went away. How can anyone use this water? It is so filthy, it stinks."
For long Bangalore has prided itself on its supply of clean potable water, unlike a Mumbai or Chennai where water is an issue. Even now, the BWSSB personnel say that the water per se is clean, but is getting contaminated in the course of supply.

"The underground pipes here are very old, most pipes in Bangalore are over 60 years old, they have become corroded and contaminate the water in the process. Until the pipes are changed, no matter how clean the water is, it will get affected" they explain.
An executive engineer (quality) admits that parts of Bangalore get contaminated water regularly.
"We collect 1,500 samples across Bangalore every month and test it at the testing lab located at High Grounds. If we find the samples contaminated, we try and fix new pipes or at least install water purifiers at the source. At Lalbagh main road, there is a huge untreated, uncovered drain, which we suspect is the source of large quantities of bacteria."
Doctors reckon that such a situation is dangerous, to say the least.
Explains Dr Gopal, a consultant at various hospitals: "Immediate effects of using such highly contaminated water include dysentery and diarrhoea. In extreme cases it could cause typhoid also. Boiling the water certainly helps." Are the civic authorities listening?

End of Article