Karnataka - Mysore   

`Water supplied in Mysore not potable'

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE, APRIL 20. The presence of harmful bacteria and viruses is one of the factors making 70 per cent of the water supplied in the city unfit for drinking, according to a study conducted by Dr. Ajay Memorial Drinking Water Foundation. These germs and dissolved salts and nitrates in drinking water pose a health hazard. A. Ramalingam of the foundation says these germs and the chemicals are found also in water drawn from borewells because sewage percolates into groundwater. The bacteria and the viruses cause diseases such as jaundice, cholera and typhoid. Dissolved salts and nitrates in drinking water overburden the kidneys. High levels of salts cause early renal failure. High nitrate levels may cause stomach cancer and the blue-baby syndrome.

The study shows that the amount of dissolved salts is higher in borewell water than in Cauvery water. In some borewells, this is higher than the 500 mg a litre prescribed under the Indian Standards specification (IS 10500).

The study reveals that water in over half the borewells in and around Mysore is contaminated with nitrates and bacteria. With nearly 35 per cent of the drinking water needs in the city and the entire requirement in rural areas being met using borewells, the hazards to health are many.

Dr. Ramalingam says though Cauvery water is treated before distribution, it may get contaminated owing to leaks in the pipeline. Contamination owing to the presence of sewage lines close to water pipes is a possibility. The possibility is more with the use of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipes instead of galvanised iron pipes. Though the latter have a longer life, PVC pipes are being used to save cost.

While the corporation officials rely on data from the tests done on water samples collected at source, Dr. Ramalingam says, samples of tap water collected in houses were used for the study. He says Section 197 of the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act seeks to supply wholesome drinking water to the citizens.

According to him, water supplied in the city now is drawn from the bottom Benthic layer of the Krishna Raja Sagar Reservoir, the principal source of water in the city, and it consists of organisms and algae, which support bacterial growth. The storage in the reservoir is fast depleting, and hence water in the Benthic layer is being utilised.

He says water cannot be treated completely, and it is difficult to filter turbid water containing a high load of organisms. In this situation, the water flows out of the treatment plant with a large quantity of suspended organic matter. Chlorination is not effective against pathogenic bacteria. The presence of large amount of suspended organic matter proves the presence of harmful bacteria in water, he adds.

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