Vizag gas leak | Test results of Meghadrigedda reservoir’s water samples awaited

Drinking water supply from Meghadrigedda was stopped following the gas leak

Employees of the Regional Public Health Laboratory collecting water samples from the Meghadrigedda reservoir, in Visakhapatnam.

Water samples from the Meghadrigedda reservoir are being tested to determine whether the gas leak at LG Polymers has affected the quality of the water.

Following the leak, apprehensions were expressed over the safety of the reservoir’s water, prompting the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation to suspend supply of drinking water from Meghadrigedda until its water was found to be safe.

Drinking water is now being supplied to the city from Yeleru, Mudasarlova and Tatipudi reservoirs.

The Regional Water Testing Laboratory under the Institute of Preventive Medicine took samples for four successive days from May 7 and confirmed its biological and bacteriological safety, sources said. However, since the water had to be tested for precipitate of styrene, the District Collector had directed the APPCB to carry out another test. The samples were collected and the APPCB tests declared that there was no effect of styrene on the water in the reservoir.

Following the reports, GVMC Commissioner G. Srijana, who had visited the reservoir on Sunday, ordered that another test be conducted. On Monday, an expert from APPCB collected samples and took them for testing, sources said. The results are awaited.

Meghadrigedda is the only major reservoir close to the city. It has a capacity of 8 MGD and a major portion of it is earmarked for industrial supply, it is learnt.

Some parts of the city which were getting water from Meghadrigedda are now being provided water from the Yeleru canal from the Narava filtration plant using an alternative pipeline. Besides, a large quantity of water is being used to bring down the density of the chemical by ‘BHELMISTER’ specialised vehicles.