MUMBAI, January 30: A recent study by Thermax Culligan Water Technologies Ltd, as part of an ongoing service to consumers in Pune, shows an alarming picture. More than 42 per cent of all water samples tested were found to be unfit for human consumption on account of microbial contamination or excessive mineral content, or both. A bulk of the non-potable samples came from tube well sources, though even some samples taken from municipal sources were found to be unsafe for drinking.Koregaon Park scored highest in terms of contamination with 50 per cent of bore well and 63 per cent of municipal water supply samples from this upmarket residential area of the city testing unsafe. Similarly, in Pune city, 50 per cent of the municipal water supply samples and 67 per cent of bore well samples tested unfit for consumption. While the municipal water samples from Aundh and Pashan tested safe, bore well samples from these areas are a cause of concern for its residents. Seventy-five per cent of the bore well samplesfrom Aundha and 67 per cent from Pashan tested `not potable'.
A detailed analysis of the results shows widespread contamination and hardness across all major residential locations in the city. As many as 35 per cent of the samples tested showed the presence of E coli, a dangerous bacterium which causes gastro-intestinal disease. Eleven per cent of the samples showed alarmingly high levels of coli form organisms.
With the rapid expansion of residential colonies in Pune city, more and more people are relying on bore wells for drinking and washing purposes in the belief that this water, which comes straight from relatively deep underground sources, will be both germ-free and soft. Tests have now thrown up a completely different picture. Bore well water tends to score high on both microbial contamination and hardness, and is clearly the least suitable source for drinking water. Nearly 30 per cent of the all samples tested showed excessive levels of hardness, with at least half of these hard water samplesshowing hardness levels of over 600 mg of calcium per litre against the permissible level of 300 mg/litre. Most of the hard water samples came from bore well sources. Kothrud residents can, however, rest easy. Both bore well and municipal water supply sampless from this area tested 100 per cent potable.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
