The Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) on Saturday said 85 per cent of the potable water used in the district contained bacteria inimical to human health.
Revealing the extent of water pollution, the CWRDM said there were hardly 15 wells that contained water pure enough for human consumption.
At a high-level meeting of the District Development Committee here, CWRDM hydrologist Dineshan V.P. said the majority of waterbodies, including rivers, contained pollutants way beyond the permissible levels.
He said the main cause of this toxicity could be the inordinate use of pesticides and unchecked flow of effluents.
Health concernsMeanwhile, alarm bells are ringing in various parts of Vadakara following an increase in cancer cases.
The CWRDM’s intervention has been sought after local MLA C.K. Nanu pointed out in the meeting that it was necessary to confirm scientifically that polluted drinking water was indeed behind the rise in the number of cancer cases in several parts of Vadakara.
For starters, the CWRDM will conduct extensive checks on the potable water used in Onchiyam panchayat in Vadakara.
Mr. Nanu called for a detailed investigation as many of the cancer patients were women who had no history of tobacco or alcohol abuse.
The MLA pointed out that poor filtration mechanism could have led to pollution of drinking water reaching households.
