Water samples reveal prevalance of fecal coliform: TN minister

Tamil Nadu government on Thursday said it had tested water samples from the Arkavathy river and the Pennaiyar river water bodies which had revealed "alarming" levels of fecal coliform above the tolerance limits. 

Public Works Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami informed the Tamil Nadu Assembly that the government had done it when reports had appeared in a section of media in March 2015 that Karnataka is letting down 593 MLD of sewage in Arkavathy (a tributary of Cauvery) and 889 MLD in Pennaiyar.

The Central Pollution Control Board had taken three samples from river Pennaiyar, 2 km upstream of the entry point of Tamil Nadu, between September 2014 and February 2015 and these were analysed in Bengaluru, he said.

"The test results had revealed that BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) varied from 19.7 to 32 mg per litre and fecal coliform varied from 38,400 to 7.8 lakh MPN /100 ml (Most Probable number per 100 ml) which is highly alarming," he said.

He said Tamil Nadu had also obtained samples in April last year from two locations on the two rivers which were analysed at the State Pollution Control Board's laboratory at Hosur.

"The report revealed alarming results and some of the elements namely the BOD, fecal coliform and total coliform were far above the tolerance limits prescribed for inland surface water by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) 2296-1982," he said.

The total and fecal coliform bacteria test is a primary indicator of potability and  suitability of drinking water for consumption,.

Diseases that can be contracted in water with high fecal coliform counts include typhoid, hepatitis, gastroenteritis, dysentery and ear infections. Fecal coliform can usually be killed by boiling water or by treating it with chlorine. Washing thoroughly with soap after contact with contaminated water can also help prevent infections.

The state had subsequently moved the Supreme Court on June 5 seeking a permanent injunction restraining Karnataka and its instrumentalities from letting the untreated sewage and industrial effluents into rivers Cauvery and Pennaiyar.

Tamil Nadu had also sought a mandatory injunction directing Karnataka to cleanse the waters of Cauvery and Pennaiyar before they enter the state, he said.

Palaniswami said Tamil Nadu had also filed an interlocutory application (IA) last year for grant of an ad interim ex-parte order asking Centre to set up a committee to monitor that the discharge of effluents into the said rivers before they entered the state border conforms to the standarad prescribed for discharge of effluent water into rivers by the competent statutory authority.