40% water samples fail chlorine test in Panipat

Mukesh Tandon

Tribune News Service

Panipat, June 23

More than 40 per cent drinking water samples have tested negative for chlorine in the district.

Sources say the Health Department had collected 1,736 samples and 625 of them have failed the test. The samples were collected to check the quantity of chlorine in water for prevention of water-borne diseases during the summer season.

The sources say the department had collected the samples from villages in all blocks of the district in May.

Dr Amit Dahiya, in charge of Community Health Centre (CHC), Dadlana, says seven water samples were collected from Shimla Mulana village after the outbreak of diarrhoea in the village three days ago.

All samples have tested negative for chlorine and reports have been sent to the Public Health Engineering Department, he says. The number of diarrhoea patients has increased to 43 and health officials are regularly monitoring the situation, he adds.

The department regularly sends reports of water samples to the Public Health authorities to ensure steps to chlorinate water properly to prevent the spread of cholera, dysentery, hepatitis, typhoid and diarrheal diseases.