Water tankers under the scanner

With summer peaking, the requirement of water has increased manifold.

Food Safety officials have begun to check the quality of water being distributed in the city.

With summer peaking, the requirement of water has increased manifold. About 1,000 loads get transported a day, and nearly 75 per cent of it comes into the city.

The Food Safety officials said they were testing the quality of the sources, and only 15 sources were available from which drinking water could be sourced. Hence, they were checking for unauthorised sources of water, said Assistant Commissioner for Ernakulam Shibu K.V.

“We will be checking the quality of water in the tankers too to find the source of water,” he said.

The transportation of drinking water was streamlined to a certain extent about two years ago when Health officials found most of the water tanker lorries carrying water with varying degrees of e-coli and coliform bacteria contamination, and unhygienic sources from which the tankers were filled. The district administration had then taken up the task of identifying the sources from where drinking water could be transported and had prescribed rules to be followed by the transporters.

“Water transporters are said to be taking water from private wells too where there is enough water,” Mr. Shibu said. “The transporters have been told to undertake proper chlorination process,” he said. “The transporters have to filter and chlorinate the water before transportation. If the water is kept for at least two hours after chlorination, all the bacteria can be removed. Mostly it is improper chlorination that gives results with e-coli contamination,” he added.