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----------------------------------------------------------- Groundwater in rural Goa contaminated: study ------------------------------------------------------------ A recent report of the public works department on water and sanitation scenario in the state has revealed that the groundwater in rural areas as well as coastal belt is highly contaminated with bacteria and metallic elements like cadmium.
The report attributed the water contamination to the apathy of the general public towards obtaining sewerage connections.
The report, quoting a couple of surveys, said that a study carried out around the coastal belt in Bardez taluka in the year 2000, with a sample of 12 open drinking water wells, showed that the presence of the coliform bacilli bacteria largely responsible for gastroenteric diseases in the water ranged from 64 to more than 1600 MNP per 100 ml of water. The allowable limit of this bacteria in the drinking water is 10 MNP per 100 ml of water.
The same study disclosed the presence of the metallic element, cadmium in the well water ranging from 0.33 ppm to 0.46 ppm. The upper limit for this type of contamination is 0.05 ppm. Apart from these observations, the study also maintained that 30 per cent of the tested water samples have showed high nitrate content.
Another study undertaken in the same area during the year 2001, showed the E-Coli level of more than 1,800 cfu per ml of water, in most of the groundwater samples. The second study, further extended to South Goa coastal belt, also made similar observations in the areas like Colva, Benaulim, Cavelossim and Betul.
The PWD has now proposed to set up additional water testing laboratories in the state to maintain the quality of treated water. Apathy of the general public towards sewerage system network in the state has been responsible for pollution of drinking water in few of the areas, the report has observed.
The public health engineering wing of the department is of the opinion that an amendment should be carried out in the Public Health Act for making it mandatory to everyone to obtain sewerage connection. The PHE is also contemplating imposition of environmental tax on those who do not obtain this connection.
The PWD will shortly undertake a project of replacing the existing water meters of industrial and commercial concerns around the state with quality water meters.
The industrial and commercial concerns have contributed in a big way to the Rs 54.35-crore revenue of the department during the year 2003-2004. The state government had reduced the water tariffs for these concerns two years back, from Rs 30 to Rs 20 per unit, in spite of facing financial crunch in the sector.
A recent survey carried out by the department has pointed out that the commercial concerns have access to 4,449 connections, while the industrial ones are provided with 241 connections. Out of these, nearly 16 per cent are water meters numbering 716 are non-functional in commercial concerns as compared to 26 per cent water meters numbering 62 which are non-working in the industrial sector, the survey observed.
The PWD authorities have also issued a directive for monthly inspection of domestic water meters to identify non-functional meters under this category.
Presently, there are around 1,67,711 domestic connections with water meters, out of which 28,504 that is around 17 per cent are found to be in non-working condition. ----------------------------------------------------- THE NAVHIND TIMES 29 /03/05 page 1 -----------------------------------------------------
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