Report on Meenachil pollution submitted

PALA: Following reports on the sales of contaminated river water as drinking water, the district food inspector has submitted a report on the pollution of the Meenachil river to District Collector Mini Antony.An official team, led by Pala RDO Joy Varghese and district food inspector David John, had on Sunday collected water samples from the Meenachil and sent them to the Regional Analytical Laboratory in Kakkanad, Kochi.“A copy of the has been sent to Food Safety Commissioner Baiju Prabhakar as well,” said David John.“We are awaiting the test results. We have not taken the sample of the drinking water supplied by the Water Authority as it is supplying the river water only after its treatment,” he said.However, David conceded that the presence of E coli bacteria was detected in the drinking water supplied by the Water Authority in the Pala Municipality. “In the last quality assessment test we conducted in the district two months ago, presence of E coli was identified in 50 per cent of the random samples, including that from the Pala Municipality. After that the departments concerned were directed to carry out proper chlorination and I believe they are doing it,” the food inspector said.Meanwhile, RDO Joy Varghese said they seized two motors from Keezhampara on Pala-Eeratupetta route installed by the illegal drinking water suppliers. “The offenders will soon be brought to book,” he said.