Scarcity of water this summer has resulted in a huge risk in the form of waterborne diseases and the Health Department in the district is on a mission to prevent the spread of such diseases.
The District Medical Officer (Health) R.L. Saritha has issued a warning to the public to be cautious about the quality of water they drink and use in the kitchen.
Clean water imperative
Since water is supplied in tankers to many parts of the district, there was also a need to ensure that the resources from where the water is drawn were clean enough. The ice used to prepare cool drinks for festivals and celebrations is also under the scanner.
The DMO has urged the public to use only boiled water, to chlorinate their water sources, keep the water and food covered, to clean the hands with soap before eating and after urination and defecation, use the fruits and vegetables only after washing and to maintain personal hygiene to prevent waterborne diseases.
‘Since the onset of summer we have been dealing with a large number of cases of jaundice and diarrhoea. Only on Saturday we had 4 cases of diarrhoea”, Dr.Saritha said and added that the department is taking special interest in water quality surveillance this week.
Safety advice
Health Department officials are visiting cool bars and providing safety advices to the owners.
“A lot of people take cool drinks from outside these days. Sometimes, the ice used to prepare cool drinks is not good enough for consumption.
“The cool bars we visited had papers to show that the ice they use are fit for consumption, but they may be using industrial ice also,” the DMO explained the situation.
Same is the situation with tankers distributing drinking water.
“We cannot follow each and every vehicle to their destination to ensure that unclean water is not distributed for drinking purposes. We do not have such manpower,” she said and added that it was up to the public to be more cautious.
