Water in 3 western districts unfit for drinking: Study

67,669 samples tested in eight districts for 14 months, quality worst in Krishnagiri, Namakkal and Dharmapuri

- R KIRUBAKARAN @ Coimbatore

The water analysis wing of the state health department, which has been testing the quality of drinking water sources across the state, has declared 3,204 samples collected from the western region over the past 14 months to be unfit for drinking, with Krishnagiri district - according to an official document of Water Analysis Laboratory, Coimbatore - showing the highest number of unsafe samples.

Following the Vengaivayal incident, the water analysis wing had urged local bodies to adopt a gaseous chlorination system instead of the conventional method that uses bleaching powder, which contains chlorine as the disinfectant for drinking water.

According to officials, the department operates regional water analysis laboratories in Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchy, and Tirunelveli. These laboratories collect drinking water samples from local bodies responsible for sourcing and distributing drinking water to the public. To prevent waterborne diseases, they have expanded their collection to include samples from all sources where local bodies and the public themselves source drinking water.