Action to be taken against spurious packaged water suppliers: KMC

Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is taking strong measures to bring spurious packaged water manufacturers to book after bacteria was found in samples of packaged water in south Kolkata.

"We will start a drive against packaged water from Friday," member Mayor in Council (health) Atin Ghosh said soon after Mayor Sovan Chatterjee raised questions over the quality of packaged or bottled drinking water at the monthly session of the civic body on Thursday.

Ghosh said food safety officers of KMC's health department will visit the dealers and manufacturers of packaged water right from Friday and check out whether the stuff have the stamp of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on them. "If we find any irregularity, we will seize the stuff and will examine them in our laboratories. And if we find any contamination, then action will

be taken as per legal procedures," Ghosh said.

It may be mentioned that Mayor Sovan Chatterjee said on Thursday that coliform bacteria was found inside packaged drinking water in two households in ward 102 and another problematic source was detected from a hand tubewell in the area.

"Till now, we have collected samples of water from various points on our supply line but have been unable to detect the source. For a detailed examination, we have also sent samples to the School of Tropical Medicine and National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Disease and are awaiting the reports," Chatterjee said.

He claimed that though the symptoms with which people are coming to the hospitals or health centres are of diarrhea or other water-borne diseases, the source cannot be detected after repeated tests.

He further claimed that the number of people visiting the hospitals with such stomach related problems have gone down.

Since Saturday, several patients particularly from wards: 101, 102 and 110 in Jadavpur have flocked to Baghajatin State General Hospital and health centres of the civic body complaining of diarrhea.

MMiC (health) Atin Ghosh, however, did not completely rule out contamination in the water supply line with work for underground utility services going on a regular basis.

"Some agencies who have caused damaged to underground pipes do not always inform KMC. We are leaving no stone unturned in ascertaining the real cause," Ghosh maintained.

The Left councillors raised a furore at the monthly meeting and demanded resignation of the Mayor. When the Mayor was addressing the session on the issue they staged walkout to protest.