The Kakkanad incident is a warning to all apartment complex residents’ associations that a periodic self auditing is required to ensure that there is no contamination in drinking water supply lines within a flat complex, Health Minister, Veena George, said in the Assembly on June 20 (Thursday).
“What happened at the Kakkanad DLF apartments can happen in any apartment and it should be ensured that there are no possibilities of the water from the sewage treatment plant getting mixed with the drinking water supply lines,” she added.
Ms. George was replying to a submission by MLA Uma Thomas on the steps taken by the Health department in the wake of recent water contamination at the DLF apartment complex in Kochi, which resulted in hundreds of residents developing gastrointestinal illness.
She said that the residents’ association of the Kakkanad DLF apartments complex have been served notices for violation of the provisions under the Kerala Public Health Act after the District Medical Officer and the district rapid response team, which inspected the water supply system in the complex, reported that there were grounds for the same.
Directions have been issued to the residents’ association that the current water supply be discontinued and to ensure that only treated water provided by accredited agencies be supplied in the complex
She also congratulated the apartment resident who contacted and alerted her to the issue of water contamination, which had affected hundreds of residents and would otherwise have gone unnoticed by the Health Department.
A full team of the district health administration had inspected the water supply system at the apartment complex. The water from various sources, KWA, rainwater harvesting, borewell and the water supplied by tanker lorries, was purified and sent to the overhead tanks in each block. Samples had been collected from the overhead tanks and were sent for chemical and bacterial analysis.
She said that as on June 19 (Wednesday), close to 500 persons had reported gastrointestinal issues and a team of the Health department was continuing to collect information from every single household. A medical team from the General Hospital Ernakulam was also camping in the premises and residents had been asked to report any health issues to them.
Oral rehydration salts and zinc tablets have been supplied to all residents and directions have been issued to people that even if the water is RO-treated, it should be boiled for drinking purposes.
The Minister said that the presence of coliform in water indicates faecal contamination, which can lead to several illnesses including hepatitis A, typhoid, and shigella and chlorination was the only scientific way to ensure safe water. The department was continuing to collaborate with the Water Resources, Local Self-Government, the Food Safety departments and the district administration regarding the issue, she added.
via The Novum Times
The Novum Times 