ALAPPUZHA: Coliform bacteria has been found to be above the permissible level in water samples collected from seven reverse osmosis (RO) plants in the Alappuzha municipality. Health officials have said that the water samples from 39 RO plants had been sent for study and seven of them contain coliform bacteria.
The samples collected from the taps of Kerala Water Authority (KWA) and houses were analysed at a government laboratory and seven samples were detected ‘non-potable’. Chlorine was also found less than the recommended level in 30 other samples taken from KWA. The samples were sent for testing due to a surge in diarrhoea and vomiting cases in the area. According to officials, 820 people, mostly children, were diagnosed with diarrhoea and vomiting at the Women and Children Hospital, Alappuzha and General Hospital between June 26 and July 16 this year.
Alappuzha municipal authority shut down at least 5 RO plants within the area after the detection of coliform bacteria. The municipal health workers also visited 12,395 houses in the area as part of the awareness campaign. They distributed 1,821 ORS packets among people.