The Department of Public Health has undertaken a campaign to test water quality across Coimbatore district to prevent the spread of infectious waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea. The campaign has acquired momentum to ensure water safety before the onset of North-East monsoon in October.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had forecast good rainfall in the current monsoon season.
Official sources told The Hindu here on Friday that Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board and Health Department officials had begun taking samples from overhead tanks and water taps to conduct microbiological tests. This was to detect the presence of bacterial infection, a common cause for communicable diseases.
The tests were conducted at a Government laboratory in Coimbatore. Once water was found to be unfit for drinking, the local body was immediately alerted to undertake remedial measures.
Health Department sources said that special emphasis was being placed on Corporation areas and Municipalities as they were thickly populated. This increased the chances for epidemic outbreak. Residents of rural areas have been urged to clean drinking water storage tanks at least once in 15 days.
Further, the Panchayats, the Municipalities of Pollachi, Mettupalayam and Valparai, besides other local bodies have also been instructed to regularly clean overhead tanks, undertake chlorination of drinking water and fix broken water supply lines and taps.
A drill was also conducted recently for school students to train them in the process of conducting water chlorination and source reduction of mosquito breeding sites. While there had been no spurt in diarrhoea so far, these steps were being taken as a precaution, the official added.
