Water unsafe at stns, but rly staff get bubble-tops

Chennai: The bubble-top cans for staff at suburban stations are a dead giveaway. While passengers fill their bottles at taps under the sign ‘Drinking Water’, what they get is far from potable, a study by a team of medical students has shown. 

The purified, packaged water is for railway officials — never mind if the passengers have to make do with water containing bacteria that can cause many diseases. 

The students collected samples from ‘drinking water’ taps at stations on the Beach-Tambaram line. Tests showed that water at 10 suburban stations had high bacterial content and was “unfit for consumption.” 

“When we were collecting the samples, we saw vendors collecting the water to cook. Homeless people drink straight from the taps,” said Sriviji S, a member of the team. 

All samples tested positive for bacteria, but six had a high percentage of Escherichia coli (E. coli), which causes urinary tract infection, gastroenteritis, peritonitis and septicemia. The presence of E. coli indicates faecal contamination. 

“Drinking water should ideally have no E. coli, but a person may consume water contaminated with up to 10mpn (most probable number) per 100ml of water without falling ill. But even those levels are dangerous over time,” said microbiologist Dr S Pushkala. The students found that samples from the Mambalam suburban station had an E. coli content of 1,800mpn per 100ml, the Tirusulam station, 1,600mpn, and Meenambakkam, 920mpn. “The water is clearly contaminated,” Pushkala said, adding that the railways officials should probe the source of the contamination and fix it. 

The medicos also found that the water had high pH (acidity) and turbidity levels. Around 5 lakh people use the Beach-Tambaram line and each station has three to four drinking water taps. 

Railway officials admitted that they rarely test the water at suburban and other stations. “The water that is supplied to these taps is either from borewells or overhead tanks. We sometimes engage tankers. So the source of the contamination is not clear,” a railway official said. “But we need to find the source and ensure that the water in the taps is safe to drink.” 

He said some stations have reverse osmosis units but they are not functional. 

The medical department is responsible for quality checks of drinking water at railway stations. Former director of public health S Elango, who took part in the study, said drinking water at the stations should be checked on a regular basis. 

TROUBLED WATERS 

Stations surveyed: Egmore, Nungambakkam, Saidapet, Kodambakkam, Mambalam, Guindy, St Thomas Mount, Palavanthangal, Meenambakkam, Tirusulam 

Study showed E. coli, a bacteria found in intestines, in the water. Its presence indicates faecal contamination 

Water at Mambalam station, with an E. coli content of 1,800mpn per 100 ml, was the most contaminated 

Study also found that the 

water had high pH (acidity) and turbidity levels