There is a fear of drinking water scarcity in Mysuru district at a time when a 53 per cent deficit in South West Monsoon showers, including a 19 per cent deficit in south interior Karnataka, including Mysuru district, has been recorded. At this juncture, as many as 148 water samples tested between April 1 and June 30 have been found to be contaminated in the rural areas of Mysuru district.
Among them, alarmingly, 24 samples of borewell water sources had Nitrate. This includes two borewells in Mysuru taluk, 11 in Nanjangud taluk, two in H D Kote taluk, one in Sargur taluk, two in Hunsur taluk, one in Saligrama and five in Piriyapatna. All these 24 borewells are closed by the Mysuru district administration.
Also, among them, 86 samples had hardness, 12 had turbidity and 25 had multi -contamination (hardness and alkalinity), one sample had turbidity, Nitrate and bacteriological vials.
As many as 48 habitats in Mysuru district, including three in Mysuru taluk, nine in Nanjangud taluk, two in T Narasipura taluk, nine in H D Kote taluk, six in Saragur, 12 in Hunsur, one each in K R Nagar and Saligrama and seven in Piriyapatna were around these water supply sources.
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Executive Engineer of Rural Water Supply division of Zilla Panchayat Suresh Babu said as a precautionary measure, besides closing those 24 borewells, they have declared that the sources of other water samples too as unfit for drinking.
A board has been displayed in front of all these water bodies directing people not to use the water from these sources for drinking. The people in these areas are now getting water from treatment plants. They check water samples regularly once every two months, he said.
According to District Health Officer Dr K H Prasad, the presence of Nitrate indicates the presence of bacteria and contamination of water. Contamination of water can cause gut infection including gastroenteritis and typhoid.
There have not been any outbreak of any of these infections so far due to these contaminated water sources in those habitats around them, he said.
Among these 148 samples tested, 22 samples were from HP (borewells), 85 samples were from PWS (Piped Water Supply) and FHTC (Functional House Tap Connection), 29 samples were from MWS (Mini Water Supply) and 12 were lake water samples.
Among them, 47 samples tested in Mysuru district laboratory were contaminated. Those include 14 from Mysuru taluk, 31 from Nanjangud taluk and two from T Narasipura taluk. As many as 92 samples tested in H D Kote lab, including 21 from H D Kote, 29 from Saraguru and 42 from Hunsur, were contaminated.
Nine samples tested in the K R Nagar lab including one from K R Nagar, one from Saligrama and seven from Piriyapatna were contaminated.