60 out of 107 water samples fail chlorination test in Faridabad

Bijendra Ahlawat

Faridabad, November 21

Substandard water chlorination is being carried out in several parts of the city as 60 water samples, out of 107 samples collected between January and October, have been found to be unfit for drinking.

Officials of Health Department said the samples were collected for routine examination. “As many as 56.07 per cent samples collected from various localities across the city didn’t meet the required chlorine level. The chlorination process is carried out by the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF) at regular intervals,’’ an official of the Health Department said.

Sources said the chlorinator systems installed at various tube wells, pumps and boosting pumps were either lying non-operational or had low chlorine content when the samples were collected. The samples were then sent for the orthotolidine test (OT), which determined the level of free and combined chlorine in the water. ‘‘Chlorination checks presence or growth of bacteria and viruses. Consumption of untreated water can lead to infections such as cholera, typhoid and dysentery, especially in children with weak immunity,’’ said an official.

Deputy Civil Surgeon Dr Rambhagat, who is in-charge of the water testing cell, said samples were collected randomly from different places in the city every month. “The findings are then submitted to the MCF, which take measures to ensure quality of the water,” he added.

A senior official of the MCF claimed water chlorination is being carried out according to the norms regularly. The samples could had been taken from the back end of the supply lines where the effect of chlorination could be less.

31% food samples fail quality test

• As per a report, 31 per cent of the samples of food items collected between January and October have failed to meet the quality parameters
• Of the 192 samples of food items, whose reports are in the public domain, 60 were found unfit for consumption. Reports of another 22 samples are awaited
• In all, 42 samples were found to be sub-standard, 15 misbranded and three unsafe in the test reports