BJP MLC urges govt to act on declining drinking water quality

Shivamogga: Highlighting a sharp decline in drinking water quality across Karnataka, BJP MLC Dr Dhananjaya Sarji on Tuesday urged the state govt to take immediate measures to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.Raising the issue during the legislative council session, Dr Sarji expressed dissatisfaction with the responses given by municipal administration and Haj minister Rahim Khan. He presented a series of alarming statistics to underscore the seriousness of the crisis.Citing Union health ministry data, he said Karnataka ranked third in the country for typhoid cases and fifth for diarrhoea. In 2021 alone, the state reported 3.3 lakh diarrhoea cases and 3,021 typhoid cases. Over the past five years, Karnataka also recorded 8,697 cases of leptospirosis (rat fever), averaging 1,739 cases annually.He further pointed to widespread chemical contamination in drinking water sources. Karnataka ranks second nationally for nitrate pollution at 48%, just behind Rajasthan at 49%. Recent water sample tests from multiple districts detected 1,647 instances of fluoride contamination and 3,129 instances of nitrate contamination. In 2023-24, laboratories recorded 4,670 bacterial impurities and 24,917 chemical impurities, a trend that has continued this year, he said.Warning of the severe health risks of fluorosis caused by prolonged consumption of high-fluoride water, Dr Sarji said the impact extends beyond dental decay to bone weakening, joint pain, permanent physical disabilities, learning difficulties in children, and more serious threats such as kidney dysfunction and cellular-level damage to DNA and proteins.He also flagged the lack of NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) accredited facilities in key centres such as Shivamogga and Mangaluru. Calling for stringent monitoring of pesticide residues in water sources, he said the government must stop "playing with the health" of its citizens.