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Patna,(BiharTimes): More than half of Patna’s water is full of bacterial contamination and not fit for human consumption. Against the permissible level of 100 per millilitre (ML) of faecal coliform, tests indicated an average of 5,056 per ML. The permissible level for total coliforms is also 100 per ML but tests have revealed the presence of an average 13,533 per ML in the water samples.
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This was found in tests of water samples from different parts of the city, conducted by the Public Health Institute (PHI).
According to an estimate just 60 per cent of the population in Patna is covered by the water supply system. About 20 per cent depend on standposts while the rest have their own tubewells.
In the Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) area, water supply is available for six hours a day, totalling 107 litres per person per day, while outside, it is a mere 43 litres.
The city generates around 290 MLD of sewage, of which half flows into the Ganga directly and the rest seeps underground, polluting the groundwater. It has three sewage treatment plants with a combined capacity of 105 MLD, but just about 50 MLD of sewage reaches these plants since the system is dilapidated.
The use of contaminated drinking water has resulted in increasing number of cases of gastrointestinal diseases among the local populace.
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