Bengaluru gets dirty drinking water, 80% unfit for human consumption

The IT capital of Bengaluru might be reaching new heights with entrepreneurship and investments, but still seems to fall terribly short when it comes to the quality of water it supplies to citizens. Studies have shown that nearly 80% of the drinking water being supplied is unfit for human consumption.

Located at a height of about 1000 metres above sea level, sourcing drinking water for a rapidly growing city like Bengaluru has always been a challenge. With the degradation of the city's lakes over the years, Bengaluru has become increasingly dependent on groundwater.

Nearly 40% of the city makes it own arrangements for water supply, as they do not have BWSSB connections. While water availability is one issue, the bigger problem is that of water quality.

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A study by a research scientist in Bengaluru's urban and peri-urban areas found that nearly 80% of the water is contaminated and unfit for consumption. The water was found to contain disease-causing pathogens like E-coli, Salmonella etc.

‘If at all the water is contaminated with E-Coli and thermotolerant Coliforms, then it is unfit for drinking. So, we collected water samples from source and house levels and a majority of the samples were found to contain E-Coli and other coliforms. E-coli is the fecal indicator and it shows the water is fecally contaminated’, says G Sheeba, a Research Officer with the Trans-Disciplinary University in Bengaluru who conducted the study.

The research was conducted in areas that were densely populated and frequently reported cases of gastroenteritis. Tests were conducted on samples from source level, as well as consumption level. Bengaluru's lone Epidemic Diseases hospital over hundred cases of Acute gastroenteritis every month. The hospital in Bengaluru received 118 cases of acute gastroenteritis in November this year, 222 cases in October and 81 cases in September. The numbers also fluctuate depending on the season.

‘There is definitely contamination of water. At least, 95% of the water is contaminated. That is the reason we tell patients to not drink water without boiling or filtering. Those who do not boil water, face these health issues’ says Dr Ansar Ahmed, Medical Superintendent of the Epidemic Diseases Hospital.

Though the presence of pathogens in the drinking water makes it unfit for consumption according to WHO standards, experts in the city feel that problem is much deeper. While filtering and boiling can rid the water of pathogens, increasing cases of chemical and metal contamination, especially surrounding lakebeds is proving to be the biggest challenge.

‘I have seen higher instances of kidney failure in the city. As per statistics about ten years back, one in one lakh people used to have kidney failure, but now it is down to one in five thousand people. If things don’t change, we might have to have dialysis centres set up at our homes’ says IISc Professor Dr TV Ramachandra, who has researched on Bengaluru’s water problems for over 25 years now.