836 water sources contaminated; unfit for use

It is shocking but true! The 836 water sources that provide drinking water to the rural areas of the district is said to be polluted and unfit.

While several villages are hit by acute water crisis, the report of the district health department said that the majority of the water sources is polluted, causing anxiety among the residents of the villages.

The district health and family welfare department had collected drinking water samples at all the 65 primary health centres (PHC) of the district and had submitted a report to the zilla panchayat.

The report stated that all the water sources that are not fit for drinking purpose should be closed and alternative methods should be adopted to provide pure water for drinking.

The main water sources like bore wells, pipelines, taps, open wells, tanks and lakes were subjected to tests along with water sources at PHCs.

According to report there are 1,427 bore wells in the district out of which 1,329 bore wells are fit for drinking. The remaining 98 bore wells are not fit for use.

About 2,697 water sources like pipeline, taps in front of houses were tested and found 2,283 fit for consumption and remaining 414 were certified as unfit.

Sattegala and Yalandur in Kollegal taluk even today has open wells that is used for drinking purpose.

About 159 such wells were tested and 116 were certified as potable, while 43 as not fit for drinking.

The department also conducted tests of 1,220 water bodies including lakes, ponds and others and declared 939 potable and 281 non-potable.

Around 84 per cent of the people in the district live in rural areas and water is being supplied from 5,503 sources. About 4,667 water sources have been identified as fit for drinking.

Gram panchayats

About 98 bore wells have been identified as not fit for drinking. But in majority of the places though the water supplied through bore wells are safe, the lack of maintaining cleanliness and hygiene is said to have contaminated the water. The negligence of the district administration has resulted in rising cases of diarrhoea in the district.

Letters have been dispatched to all the taluk panchayat executive officers directing them to take measures to maintain cleanliness, said officials of health department.
ZP CEO K B Prabhuswamy said that bore wells would be sunk if necessary to solve the water problems in the district.