GUWAHATI, Dec 12 - The State Public Health Laboratory, Assam, has found the water treated in the plants of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) fit for public consumption, much to the relief of lakhs of people of the city, who are dependent on water from the Brahmaputra for their day-to-day needs.
After a sudden change visible in the colour of water of the river and the reports of turbidity of the Siang and Brahmaputra rivers going beyond the permissible level, the GMC sent the water samples collected from two water treatment plants of the city to the Public Health Laboratory for ascertaining its quality.
�The reports from the food analyst of the Government of Assam that came to us today say that both the samples are chemically satisfactory for using for drinking purpose with respect to the tests carried out,� Guwahati Mayor Mrigen Sarania told The Assam Tribune.
The samples were collected from the Panbazar Water Treatment Plant and the Satpukhuri Water Treatment Plant (WTP) of the Corporation. Apart from this, the GMC has another WTP at Kamakhya. As a whole, the Corporation caters to the day-to-day water needs of approximately four lakh people of Guwahati on a daily basis.
Turbidity in the treated water of both the WTP was found nil against the maximum permissible limit of 5 NTU, whereas the fluoride was 0.2 against a maximum limit of 1.0 mg/l. The odour and taste of the water was also found unobjectionable and agreeable, respectively.
�The samples were sent to the lab by the in-charge of the GMC Water Works to make sure that water reaching the citizens is safe for drinking. It will also alleviate any fear and misconception among the common people regarding the treatment of water in the GMC WTPs.
The water before treatment, however, has gone increasingly muddy with high turbidity, creating a concern about the cause of pollution in the Brahmaputra and its tributaries. Recently, the State Water Resources Department has also confirmed that the turbidity level in the Brahmaputra at three places in Assam were much beyond the permissible limit for use as potable water.
�This kind of water is generally found during monsoons, specifically during high-floods. The GMC Water Works closely monitoring the Brahmaputra has also found it as an unusual development,� added the GMC Mayor.
