Visakhapatnam: Water in Anakapalle, where government has plans to develop a satellite township, is unfit for drinking, according to a study conducted by researchers of Andhra University’s environmental science department. It indicated that the water in the municipality is contaminated with pathogenic bacteria and is unfit for drinking. Open defecation, water-logging environment, poor drainage facilities and unscrupulous dumping of domestic waste resulted in deterioration of water quality.
The study also revealed that large-scale waterborne diseases are prevalent in this area. Since quality of water is critical in disease prevalence, the water sources used for drinking should be monitored regularly to reduce epidemics, said the study ‘Physico-chemical and microbial analysis of water samples in Anakapalle Municipal Corporation’ The study was carried out at some selected sampling sites within the municipality. Water samples were collected from five places at three sources like a well, a hand pump and stream once in a month for a year, in white plastic bottles, which were previously rinsed with distilled water and sterilised with 70 pc alcohol.
At the collection point, the containers were rinsed thrice with the sample water before being used to collect the samples. The collected samples were placed in a thermocol box. During the study period, all the five water samples showed the presence of the nine pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa Salmonella typhi, Shigella dysenteriae, Staphylococcus aureus, Group D Streptococcus, Vibrio cholerae and V. parahaemolytics.
"The temperature in the box was maintained at 4degree Celcius by using ice packs. The microbial isolation was done by a streak plate method on nutrient agar and on selective media for their identification. The final identification of resulted isolates was done with the biochemical tests in accordance with the Bergey’s Manual," said the study which is also being carried out by Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). The study was conducted by Geetha S, P. Jagadeesh Chandrababu, L. Nageswar rao and M. Murali Mohan of Andhra University.
"E Coli manifests into all the tissues and causes various health problems. Women re more vulnerable to E Coli infections which may lead to urinary tract infections and diarrhoea. People should avoid drinking water having such pathogenic bacteria," said physician, Dr R. Ramana Rao.
