DINAKARAN NEWS

Concerns arise over quality of tanker water in Chennai

CHENNAI: Lack of uniform policy to check the quality of water that is supplied by the private water tankers has left residents with no choice but to consume contaminated water.

Private water tanker companies are tapping water from unidentified and abandoned sources compromising on quality. In the Keerapakkam stone quarry, a 22-year old murdered body of a man found four months ago. Now, private tankers are pumping water from the same quarry and supplying to households. Even from a quarry near Thiruporur, a body was fished out in January and tankers pump water from there too.

As per rules, the legal responsibility to check the quality of water lies with Metrowater and they act only if there are complaints. The local bodies and food safety department, under the Public Health Act, support Metrowater by checking water contamination regularly. In March, Greater Chennai Corporation had picked up 621 samples and found 36 unfit for consumption.

“The problem is that they check for quality only when we complain,” said S Gopi, secretary of Subramania Nagar Civic and Welfare Association in Kodambakkam. He added, “We are worried about the quality and don’t use tanker supply for drinking or cooking purposes. We use this only for washing and bathing. Also, the situation is so bad that we somehow adjust as we don’t want to irk the private water supply companies.” Metrowater and public works departments formed a committee in October 2018 to regulate private water tankers.

“A draft report has been submitted to the chief secretary and we await corrections after which it will be passed in the assembly. These norms will ensure water is drawn only from permitted locations, treated before supply, rules for the permit and other details. A team would be formed to monitor the implementation,” said a senior metro water official. 

Gopalakrishnan V, a civic activist, said, “Many gated communities treat the water in their RO plants before use. And other residents have no choice but to boil before use. Also, tanker owners won’t tell us where they pumped the water from and say they cannot give any certification on the quality of water,” he said.

The officials at the public works department, under whom the lakes and quarries come, were unavailable for comments. Some quarries also belong to industries and revenue department. Concerns arise over quality of tanker water.

Thriving street food business throws up new challenges

PUDUCHERRY, 07/06/2019: ( For UT Matter ) There is a growing concern among residents as well as health authorities about the mushrooming of wayside food vendors without any valid registration and food safety measures. Photo: T.Singaravelou | Photo Credit: T.Singaravelou

Reuse of edible oil and reckless dumping of solid waste pose a health hazard; penalties levied by municipal officials on vendors have so far proved ineffective

The booming business of street food is causing concern among the health authorities in the Union Territory. Illegal small roadside eateries have proliferated on almost all roads in the city.

Call it the trickle effect of tourism or changing food habits of residents, good patronage is drawing more people into the business. Of late, barbecue too has found a place on the streets.

As business multiplies, health authorities are concerned about hygiene and the added pressure on the solid waste management system in the town and suburban places.

“It is a livelihood issue for a large number of poor people. So, no authority will curb the business interest of a street vendor. But at the same time, it is the responsibility of health authorities to ensure that the food sold in these eateries is as per standards. We can see even people cooking food close to storm water drains,” says Kumar, a resident of Lawspet.

The food vendors hold a different view on the hygiene. “How many of you people have seen the way food is cooked in a hotel? At least, we cook the food in front of the customers. If we sell contaminated or adulterated food we will be the losers,” said Mubarak, a resident of Bussy Street.

Health risk

I. Danaraju, food safety officer, urban area, said the department was aware of the growing number of vendors cooking food on the streets. “It is not correct to say that the food cooked by vendors is unhygienic and those in the hotels is hygienic. But one worry is that the food prepared in an open street where there is high vehicular movement brings with it health concerns. Also, the re-use of oil is a concern, including in middle level hotels,” he said.

Ravichandran, food safety officer, rural area, said recently they received a specific complaint from residents of Kirumampakkam about food being prepared on top of a drain. The department had to intervene to make the owner take corrective steps, he added.

From the point of view of safety, an awareness programme was held for the vendors at the Street Food Festival organised by the Local Administration Department.

Mr. Danaraju said the need of the hour was to make these entrepreneurs get registered and sensitise them to the food safety aspect. “Now, none of them have valid identity cards. We can’t penalise them if something goes wrong,” he added.

He stressed the need for a coordinated effort by the food cell, municipality and police to check the quality of food being sold in all eateries, including those sold by vendors. The Food Safety wing did not have sufficient manpower to enforce the rules. It would need the support of the municipality and the police, he added.

For the municipal authorities, street food kiosks pose a challenge as they generate large quantum of solid waste. Even after being given strict instructions to place bins for customers to dispose plates and food waste, many owners did not comply with the rule. “We have started imposing fine. On an average, fines were imposed on around 1,000 people a month. The fine amount ranges from ₹30 to ₹500,” said R. Kathiresan, health inspector, Puducherry Municipality.

Commenting on the growing number of food vendors, Pratha Kumar Shetty, professor in the department of food science and technology in Pondicherry University, said: “It is known that these roadside eateries are low on safety and hygiene, selling food of very low or unsure quality. However, this does not deter the consumers from flocking them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Especially, quality of oil and repeated and unscientific ways of using oils makes these foods bad for health.”

Concurring with his views, K. Peter Prasanth Kumar, professor, department of paediatrics, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, said the traditional processing methods were not used in the preparation, inappropriate holding temperature and poor personal hygiene of food handlers were the main concerns.

The food was not protected from flies and dust. Infections are not uncommon.

Though most of the illnesses caused by contaminated food are self limiting and treatable (acute gastroenteritis), there are instances that can become life threatening. Lack of running water or potable water makes food safety conditions at these locations untenable.

“Street food is here to stay. Vendors should be given some basic training and certification on how to prepare and store them safely. The need of the hour is to understand the operations of our street vendors and develop infrastructure needed to maintain quality,” he said. Stressing the need for maintaining a balanced approach, Prof. Shetty said: “A balance needs to be struck between the health of the consumers and employment of the persons owing the business.”

It is a herculean task to strictly enforce the high standards in this sector. The only way forward was to give regular training and orientation to these establishments and slowly bring them on a kind of formal or semi formal framework through pragmatic simple registration process by the local administration giving training and awareness. There have been efforts in different places by designating them formally as street food zones.

Bangkok in Thailand is one of the best examples of implementing the clean street food programme. “Today, they boast one of the scientifically managed street food cultures in the world. This has improved their tourism by changing the public and world’s perception of street foods,” said Mr. Shetty.

Town vending panels

Municipal Commissioner Arjun Ramakrishna said a town vending committee would be formed soon to identify vending zones where the food vendors could be relocated. The municipality would provide them with all necessary infrastructure, he added.

Akshaya Patra midday meal row: Is food without onion and garlic not nutritious?

Akshaya Patra is an organisation which is feeding over 1.76 million children daily in India in order to promote education and eradicating hunger.

The midday meal scheme is often credited for drawing children to schools and also for cut in dropouts, but it has had its share of controversies. The latest row to hit the programme surrounds Akshaya Patra, a charitable organisation run by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), otherwise known as the Hare Krishna movement.

Akshaya Patra claims that it serves 'wholesome' school lunch to over 1.76 million children in 15,024 schools across 12 states in India.

Accusation

It found itself in the midst of a controversy after an article in a national daily claimed that school-children in Karnataka were not happy with the food provided by the organisation as it lacked garlic and onion.

The criticism

Following this, many people bashed Akshaya Patra for forcing its own food preference on the children, while others raised questions about nutrition. Some even claimed that food was being wasted as the children were not eating the meals served by Akshaya Patra.

"The size of a programme doesn't prove that it's working. Children are not eating enough food because onions and garlic play a major part in Indian food. Due to this, there is large amount of wastage of food," claimed Twitter user Sunil Revathi.

Akshaya Patra's answer

However, the claim was countered by TV Mohandas Pai, who is on the board of the trustee of Akshaya Patra.

"You are lying: any data you have to make this statement?" Pai shot back.

Some supporters of the organisation pointed out that food without onion and garlic could be quite nutritious and since it is a charitable organisation, it should reserve the right to decide what it serves as long as it does not violate the norms for midday meals laid down by the government.

Akshaya Patra said that it follows all the norms laid down by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

"We have regular quality audits, food safety audits etc. We have given our blood, sweat, tears and personal monies for our children: we follow norms of MHRD; for this selfless service over 20 years we are being abused!," Pai said.

"We also have 17 ISO 22000: 2005 certified kitchens, which are testaments to our priority of protecting the health of children," the official handle of the organisation tweeted on Friday.

Hot, nutritious meals like this are made fresh daily.

Donate $20 and feed a child for an entire school year. 

After the controversy, many social media users came forward to offer donations to the organisation.

The call for more donation to the organisation was given by author Anand Ranganathan.

"The only way bigoted, illogical, anti-science, Hinduphobic vested interests can be silenced, is when you put your money where your mouth is. Please donate to @AkshayaPatra. And do reply with a confirmation that you have done so. Very grateful. Thanks," he said in a tweet on Friday while giving a link to the donation page of the organization.

The support

While Ranganathan did not reveal the exact amount of money collected after his call, he did mention that the organisation received 510 donation in just 11 hours and the average donation size was Rs 3,800 - which amounts to Rs 19.38 lakh - in addition to Rs 2 lakh in one single donation.

"Just crossed 510 donations in 11 hours. Average donation size now Rs 3,800 excluding the one single donation of Rs 2 lacs. Please keep them coming. Thank you so much everyone, but above all, thank you @AkshayaPatra. You are an inspiration. And the pride of India," Ranganathan said.

Food Safety Day in Kohima

KOHIMA: Under the theme “Food Safety, Everyone’s Business”, the Food Safety Day was celebrated for the first time in Kohima on June 7. Speaking on the occasion, Minister of H&FW, S Pangnyu Phom said, “We are observing the first-ever Food Safety Day in Nagaland along with the rest of the country. Food is one of the essentials of life. 

The paramount requirement for the nation is the availability of safe food in sufficient amount but equally important is the fact that the food we eat, must be free from contamination or adulteration so that the consumption does not cause any ill effects on health.” 

In his keynote address, Principal Secretary-cum-Commissioner, Food Safety Commission. H&FW Department, Himato Zhimomi said that food safety is everybody’s business and it is very important, particularly for the young, because they are the most vulnerable group in the society, stated a DIPR release.