Health : Ghaziabad water samples fail quality test
New Delhi, July 29 : Water samples from Ghaziabad’s Kaushambi failed in the quality test with the amount of chloride detected twice and TDS (total dissolved solids) four times above permissible levels.
The samples collected from Kaushambi’s Kamadgiri, Vindhyachal and Sumeru towers were sent for testing to the National Test House here and a lab in Delhi by the Kaushambi Apartment Resident Welfare Association (KARWA).
All the three samples failed in the quality test.
“The matter has been brought to our notice. In this regard, a meeting, to be chaired by the District Magistrate, of water, pollution and other concerned departments will be held within the next three days to decide the future course of action,” Nodal officer of the Ground Water Department, Hari Om told IANS.
“The problem has been prevailing since long time. The inquiry was conducted by Vinay Kumar Mittal, president of KARWA,” Rekha Bakshi, secretary of Vindhyachal Building Association told IANS.
“During Chhat Puja, when the Ganga canal remains shut for cleaning purpose, we become dependent on ground water… To my knowledge several cancer patients have died. Although I cannot say clearly it is because of water, but water is also one of the reasons.”
“Despite using RO filters, we get water having high level of TDS. We got the underground water from two-three towers tested and very serious results emerged out of it,” she added.
According to the KARWA president, Kaushambi has witnessed a jump in number of patients with cancer, kidney and liver ailments in the last few years. “This is a bitter truth. We have informed all the concerned departments and officers to look into the matter,” he added.
Reacting to the development, Municipal Commissioner Mahendra Singh Tanwar, “We do not recognise private investigation… I have asked officials of the ground water department to conduct an investigation.”
“The quality of water from boring done by us is our responsibility. But if it is done privately, then it is not our responsibility. Which boring water they got tested is not clear to us yet,” he asserted.
–IANS
