Kerala - Kozhikode   

City loses sleep over contaminated water

Biju Govind

Residents allege inaction on the part of KWA

HEALTH HAZARD: Worm found in water supplied by the Kerala Water Authority is stored in a bottle by a resident of the city. Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup

Kozhikode: Residents within the Kozhikode Corporation limits are a worried lot these days. And one of the main reasons for their worry is contaminated water. Even as water-borne diseases are being reported from across the city, residents allege that the Kerala Water Authority was doing little to ensure supply of clean water.

On December 4, city dwellers, particularly those in jaundice-hit areas of Kundungal and Thottoolipadam, had a rude shock when they found worms in large numbers in the water supplied by the KWA.

S. Praveen Sabu, software engineer and a resident of colony in East Hill, was not surprised when he found a worm in the water at his apartment a couple of weeks ago. He now takes precaution to filter the water before using it.

Remani Sreedharan, a housewife residing at Mankavu, echoes the same problem. She too has taken measures to purify water supplied by the KWA. "I filter the water for drinking purposes," says Padmakshi Venugopal, residing at Parancheri at Kottully.

The death of a student, Niyas at Vadakara on Saturday after consuming lemonade has sounded the alarms bells. Several people, including children, were admitted to the Vadakara Government Hospital and Kozhikode Medical College Hospital as the water reportedly used from the well was found to be contaminated.

P.A. Jayaprakash, a resident of the East Hill Housing Colony, says that the KWA as well the Health Wing of the Kozhikode Corporation should ensure that the water being supplied to households was not polluted. "Steps should be taken to purify wells in thickly populated residential colonies periodically," he adds.

Residents of the Vikas Nagar Housing Colony have five wells for its 90 apartments. Most of them use water purifiers. The KWA supplies water from two sources to 4.5 lakh city dwellers on alternate days.

The supply of water is from two sources at Poonurpuzha and Chaliyar River. The KWA supplies only 65 million litres per day (mld) when the actual demand is over 150 mld.

KWA superintending engineer P.V. Gopinathan said that treatment of water is being done at the plants at Mavoor and Muzhikal. Officials are alert against contamination.

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