DEHRADUN: As many as 92 out of the 97 water samples collected from different wards of Dehradun failed the lab test conducted recently by the Society of Pollution & Environment Conservation Scientists (SPECS), a city-based non-profit organisation. The water samples were collected from May 1 to June 25 from different wards of the Dehradun Municipal Corporation by Jal Praharis (volunteers) of SPECS.
According to the findings of the lab test, 41 out of the 97 water samples were found to be ‘super-chlorinated’ i.e they had a chlorine content of over 0.2 mg per litre. This super-chlorinated water is supplied in several posh localities of Dehradun where VIPs, including Dehradun district magistrate and cabinet ministers Satpal Maharaj and Ganesh Joshi, have their residences. In particular, the tap water at the DM’s house had chlorine content of 1.2 mg per litre — way above the safe mark. Among the colonies that are supplied with this water include — Rajpur road, Subhash Road, Yamuna Colony, Tyagi Road, Race Course and Sewak Ashram Road, among others.
The consumption of super-chlorinated water can lead to cancer, skin diseases, greying of hair, stomach aches, kidney stones, diarrhea, and in some cases, it can even be fatal. Cognisant of the poor quality of tap water, a majority of residents in these predominantly affluent neighbourhoods use an RO. Talking to TOI, several residents of these areas even said that the tap water emanates the foul Chlorine odour in their locality.
On the other hand, the water samples collected from areas where a majority of the residents are from the financially-weaker section had a high fecal coli content. According to the SPECS report, 40 of the total water samples collected were found with high fecal coli content. In Bhandari Bagh, the fecal coli content was 14 MPN per 100ml against the safe mark of 0 MPN per 100ml while the total coli content in water was 42 MPN per 100ml against the safe mark of 10 MPN per 100ml.
The other areas where water was found to be high in fecal coli content include — Sahastradhara Road, Sanjay Colony, Patel Nagar, Chamal Puri, Shimla Bypass, Niranjanpur and Johri Gaon, among others.
Speaking on the report, Brijmohan Sharma, senior scientist and founder of SPECS, said, “VIPs are consuming super-chlorinated water which is actually carcinogenic. On the other hand, the lower strata of the Doon Valley are being supplied e-coli-laden water which leads to fatal diseases like hepatitis, vomiting diarrhoea and cholera,” said Brijmohan Sharma, senior scientist and founder of SPECS. Meanwhile, the chlorine content was found as per norms in only localities — Inder Road, Madrasi Colony, Tapkeshwar marg, Poorv Patelnagar and Canal Road.
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