Purified water is not pure in Vijayawada market

They have been avoiding cleaning the bottles after use and reusing them without taking minimum precautions. In fact, doctors are suggesting that people avoid the use of plastic bottles for drinking water purpose. Though, the water is purified through Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants, it is losing hygiene by the time it reaches the consumer.

Dr V.V. Kiran, working faculty at the Government Medical College and Government General Hospital in Guntur, observed that until the outburst of an epidemic, the people would not realise the severity of the problem. He elaborated that the entire chain of purified water is polluted.

Dr Kiran said that the RO plant owners have been filling plastic cans without properly washing them and some algae also could be found in these cans. He said that the cans are being placed on the dispenser without washing the mouth of the can. One tenth of the can at the mouth dips into dispenser, which was not suggestible. He explained that the cans ‘mouth contains infectious aerosols which could cause diseases like hepatitis, cholera and other water-borne diseases.

Dr Kiran said that in the retail market the shop owners usually place the bottle on a cooler and here also some more unhygienic condition is causing damage to health. He observed that the shop owners have been giving water to the customers through waste bottles of one litre and half litre collected from rag pickers and other sources. The plastic water bottles should not be used for the second time, and it is clearly mentioned in each and every bottle manufactured by authorised companies, he stated.

Dr Kiran said that plastic bottles contain carcinogens and cause health problems. He suggested that it would be better to avoid repeated usage of a plastic bottle.