Colombo’s water table is highly compromised, and using this water via tube wells can lead to the public contracting any number of diseases, and even death, say CMC officials
By Kasun Warakapitiya
Despite warnings from the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) to refrain from using tube well water obtained in Colombo city, small time hoteliers are said to be secretly making use of ground water.
CMC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ruwan Wijeyamuni told the Sunday Times that they banned the sinking and use of tube wells within City limits due to the excessive pollution of water. He said that last year the CMC had raided several eateries which used ground water from illicit tube wells.
The CMC is able to detect if ground water is being used by examining the water bills of hotels and restaurants in their annual registration of eateries. “If any eatery is found using ground water, they will not be allowed to operate. We will cancel their licence,” Dr. Wijeyamuni said.
He said that food prepared using tube well water becomes contaminated, while plates washed with such water will, likewise, contaminate the food.
“The Colombo water table is very high up; therefore water can be reached after drilling to a depth of five to ten feet. Colombo is marshy land where water is collected very high in the soil, with little filtration, so it has various contaminants,” he said.
Dr. Wijeyamuni pointed out that in the dry zone, ground water reserves were purer, since they are found at a depth of over forty feet. But in Colombo the water body is polluted by septic leakage and drainage water.
He explained that over a hundred pathogens including types of bacteria, such as E. Coli, were discovered when samples of ground water were tested a few years back. Even discarded battery components including heavy metals such as Lead, Cadmium and Nickel are found in Colombo’s tube well water, as well as unknown viruses, fungi and worms.
“Ingesting polluted water can result in Typhoid fever, Hepatitis, fungal and bacterial infections, poisoning, worm infestations and even death,” Dr. Wijeyamuni cautioned. He added that the Colombo ground water should not be used even for bathing or washing clothes as this can lead to skin rashes, eczema, allergic reactions and eye infections.
CMC Analyst R.M.G.B Rajanayake said that the Colombo water table was contaminated due to industrial and commercial activity. He said that when the water was tested at the CMC laboratory they found Ammonia, Nitrates and Nitric components. The water was heavily mixed with sewage and garbage which had seeped underground.
Mr. Rajanayake pointed out that the water could even contain toxic waste and heavy metals, and therefore people should refrain from using Colombo groundwater.
Source – 21/05/2017, The Sunday Times, See more at – http://www.sundaytimes.lk/170521/news/illegal-use-of-colombo-tube-wells-endangering-peoples-health-240874.html
