He also said that penal measures could be initiated as per section 69 in Food Safety and Standards Act, Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations.
Following warnings that the state was heading for a drought, the state disaster management authority had decided to declare drought as natural calamity. And the state government directed district administration to ensure supply of potable water on a war-footing. Due to depleting sources and protests by people residing in Kochi's suburbs the tankers faced difficulty in sourcing water. It was alleged that the trucks drew water from unused quarries and other polluted sources. The district administration ordered an enquiry into these allegations.
"As temperature soars there is scarcity in supply of drinking water. It is found that tanker trucks are exploiting the situation by supplying contaminated water," said the collector. He also said that the practice could lead to outbreak of contagious diseases. "As public health is a major concern the food safety assistant commissioner has been asked to step in," added the collector.
The city residents have been raising concern about the quality of drinking water. As there was no effective system to check the quality of water, they wanted the district administration to initiate measures to get safe drinking water. They had demanded that the source of water should be made known, and the veracity of the claims should be verified.
"Most apartment complexes and independent houses which buy water from tankers do not have a facility to check quality. When the government labs refuse to accept samples it takes at least a week to get reports from private labs," said P Rangadasa Prabhu, president, Ernakulam district residents' association apex council. According to him, as tankers arrive after midnight it is nearly impossible for the residents to check the quantity of water supplied.
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