EXCLUSIVE
Script published here are subject to copyright
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has asked the Public health engineering (PHE) to ordered an immediate inquiry into the allegation made by the Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP) about the unsafe drinking water supply in 44 localities in Shillong city.
Talking exclusively to Meghalaya News 24, the Chief Minister said, the state Government is not taking anything lightly and is examining the report submitted by the organisation on Tuesday.
“We take the report seriously; I have asked the department to immediately conduct an inquiry into the entire process, specially the 46 tanks that they have mentioned and also to ensure that we go into all other areas that are there,” Sangma said.
“ It’s a large network, large system therefore we need to ensure that we take all the aspect into consideration, nonetheless we are not taking anything lightly, we are examining all the factors,” he added.
Appreciating the initiative of FKJGP to collect and test the water samples, the Chief Minister said, “We have more than 1000 tanks in Shillong that are run by locality, by municipal, by PHE by different different distribution agencies. The PHE department conducts test regularly and their reports have come out normal so therefore, we are continuously doing and we will continue to do in the future also.”
Not completely ruling out the possibility, the CM said, “The water comes out from a sources and through the sources it is then distributed to many networks of municipal, of PHE, through different private lines into different tanks again own local, sometimes privately, sometimes PHE, sometimes municipal and when water flows through this system, some can be very old also there could be things that happen we need to examine.”
Earlier, The FKJGP has submitted a report of the State Food Testing Laboratory Commissionerate of Food Safety, Pasteur Hills, Shillong to the CM.
The water samples were collected on random sampling from 46 different localities across Shillong city by members of the FKJGP on August 22, following numerous complaints received on the quality of drinking water.
“The Report of water samples received from the State Food Testing Laboratory, Commissionerate of Food Safety, Pasteur Hills, Shillong depicts that out of the 46 (forty-six) different localities tested, 44 (forty-four) localities show presence of Coliform and E. coli organisms with low pH value, high turbidity, and iron content above the prescribed limit; which clearly indicates that the water collected and tested in these 44 (forty-four) 1localities is an unsafe water as per FSSAI standards. Hence, continuous consumption of such water can be detrimental to human health,” FKJGP president Dundee C Khongsit said in the memorandum.
He said that detection of low pH value in these water samples collected and tested indicates that the water is acidic in nature.
As per FSSAI standards, the normal pH value of drinking water ranges from 6.5 to 8.5 respectively. Below 6.5, the water is said to be acidic in nature.
Khongsit said as per research; when acidic water passes through water pipes, it can corode and damage them. If the pH of the water is extremely low, it can even start to dissolve the copper from the metal pipes. If copper enters our drinking water, it can to lead kidney and/or liver damage.
“It is true, drinking water that contains iron can be beneficial to your health. However, excessive iron in drinking water may have negative effects. Presence of high iron content in these water leads to an overload which can cause diabetes, hemochromatosis, stomach problems, nausea and damage healthy skin cells which may results in early onset of wrinkles. Besides, high iron content damage the liver, pancreas, and heart,” he said.
He said, “Similarly; high turbidity in drinking water can harbour microbial pathogens, which can be attached to particles and impair disinfection. Presence of faecal colifornms in water indicates that faecal contamination of the water by a warm blooded animal has occurred and this may cause several intestinal diseases in human. Pathogen like E coli can cause several diseases like Diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, hemolytic uremic syndrome, respiratory illness, pneumonia, and other illnesses.
However, E. coli can also cause illnesses such as meningitis, septicemia, urinary tract, and intestinal infections which may be fatal in small children and the elderly and may even result in high mortality rate.”
Meanwhile, the FKJGP has urged the chief minister to immediately take steps to address the issue.