Residents of 44 localities in the city are drinking harmful water. A report of the State Food Testing Laboratory, Commissionerate of Food Safety has revealed the shocking fact.
The Federation of Khasi Jaiñtia and Garo People (FKJGP), who took the initiative to collect water samples from 46 localities within Shillong on August 22 had sent them for testing after concerns were raised by the public about the quality of drinking water.
As per the report only two localities, Demthring and Mawblei were marked “safe”.
The report of water samples water in the 44 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 localities is unsafe water as per FSSAI standards.
The FKJGP said that detection of low pH value in these water samples collected 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.
Stating that as per research, when acidic water passes through water pipes, it can corrode and damage them and if the pH of the water is extremely low, it can even start to dissolve the copper from the metal pipes, the organisation is concern that if copper enters drinking water, it can lead to kidney or liver damage.
Though the presence of iron can be beneficial to health, excessive iron in drinking water may have negative effects, 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 damages the liver, pancreas, and heart and high turbidity in drinking water can harbour microbial pathogens, which can be attached to particles and impair disinfection.
The presence of faecal coliforms 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, the organisation said. Pathogen like E coli can cause several diseases like Diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, hemolytic uremic syndrome, respiratory illness, pneumonia, and other illnesses and 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.
The test reports of the water samples collected at random was also submitted to the State government today with a call to address the concerns and take immediate steps to ensure safe and clean drinking water for the people.
“Our only concern is that authorities like the Municipal Board and PHE (Public Health Engineering) Department including localities representative to kindly work together for the safety of the citizens,” the FKJGP said.
