Think before you drink

Seram Neken *

Manipur people face water problem :: Pix by Jinendra Maibam

Safe or risky, packaged water whether local made or imported, is widely used for drinking purposes in Manipur. Sale of water, for domestic use and drinking, has become a good profitable business in this state. Are we purchasing the safe packaged water for drinking ? Are we getting the quality water for domestic use ?

Let us think before paying Rs. 10 for a half litre bottle, Rs. 15 for one litre bottle, Rs. 50 for a 20 litre packaged container, Rs. 300 for 2000 litre tata DI tanker, Rs. 800 for a 9000 litre tanker. Good water sustains life, bad water kills. The State Public Health and Engineering Department and the Health Department need to monitor the available packaged water in the market and the water treatment plants in Manipur.

Varieties of drinking water are available in a wide range. Nowadays, in every feast programme including Utsavs, we use plastic bottled water. At home, we are increasingly switching on to packaged water without pondering its safety and quality. Before the appearance of packaged water, we used to boil water for safety.

But, since packaged water is generally considered pure, we stick to easily available bottles and tankers. Our faith in packaged water is so high that we no longer boil water for drinking. However, with the appearance of a number of bottled water brands (local, national and international) in this highly competitive and liberalized market, it is time we put our thought on the purity and safety of these water packages.

Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. Over large parts of the world, humans have inadequate access to potable water and use sources contaminated with disease vectors, pathogens or unacceptable levels of toxins or suspended solids. Drinking or using such water in food preparation leads to widespread acute and chronic illnesses and is a major cause of death and misery in many countries. Reduction of waterborne diseases is a major public health goal in developing countries like India.

Common infections from impure water may be cholera, typhoid and diarrhea. Over 90% of deaths from diarrhea in the developing world today occur in children under 5 years old. Malnutrition, especially protein-energy malnutrition, can decrease the children's resistance to infections, including water-related diarrheal diseases. Improved water supply reduces diarrhea morbidity by twenty-five percent and improvements in drinking water through proper storage in the home and chlorination reduce diarrhea episodes by thirty-nine percent.

Parameters for drinking water quality typically fall under two categories: chemical/physical and microbiological. Chemical/physical parameters include heavy metals, trace organic compounds, total suspended solids (TSS), and turbidity. Microbiological parameters include Coliform bacteria, E. coli, and specific pathogenic species of bacteria (such as cholera-causing Vibrio cholerae), viruses, and protozoan parasites.

Chemical parameters tend to pose more of a chronic health risk through buildup of heavy metals although some components like nitrates/nitrites and arsenic can have a more immediate impact. Physical parameters affect the aesthetics and taste of the drinking water and may complicate the removal of microbial pathogens.

Water has always been an important and life-sustaining drink to humans and is essential to the survival of all organisms. Excluding fat, water composes approximately 70% of the human body by mass. It is a crucial component of metabolic processes and serves as a solvent for many bodily solutes.

There are a variety of trace elements present in virtually all potable water, some of which play a role in metabolism. For example sodium, potassium and chloride are common chemicals found in small quantities in most waters, and these elements play a role (not necessarily major) in body metabolism. Water is essential for the growth and maintenance of our bodies, as it is involved in a number of biological processes.

Throughout most of the world, the most common contamination of raw water sources is from human sewage and in particular human faecal pathogens and parasites. It is clear that people in the developing world need to have access to good quality water in sufficient quantity, water purification technology and availability and distribution systems for water. In many parts of the world the only sources of water are from small streams often directly contaminated by sewage.

Most water requires some type of treatment before use. The extent of treatment depends on the source of the water. Appropriate technology options in water treatment needs to be applied in the water supply pants of the state by way of stationing experts.

Besides the public water supply schemes at selected places, there are also numerous private water treatment and sale agencies in Manipur. These private water plants involve a lot of risk because of lack of quality control measures. Water is pulled up from the nearby rivers and stored in pools. With treatment of alum, such water is loaded for home delivery on tankers. This water is also bottled for sale by local water traders. People buy these packages and drink as safe water.

It has become a big business as water scarcity hits the state. As the number of ponds and lakes are diminishing day by day, and rivers are becoming polluted with sewerages, people have to purchase water for use. The state government (the PHED and Health department) may over see these scenario for controlling the quality of supplied water.