Guwahati: The Public Health Department in Meghalaya said that it is going to verify the reports of the alleged unsafe drinking water supply in Shillong.
There were several reports stating that the supply of unsafe drinking water in several localities of the city.
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The PHE department said that it will take remedial measures wherever necessary regarding the issue.
The FKJGP as per reports had collected samples of water from 46 localities of Shillong on August 22.
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The samples were tested at the State Food Testing Laboratory, Commissionerate of Food Safety, Shillong which was later found to be contaminated.
As per officials, the main source of water supply to Shillong is from the River Umiew at Mawphlang.
An official said the pH value of the Umiew River water is often above the minimum permissible limits, except during the monsoon months when it becomes highly turbid due to stone and sand quarrying activities along the river bank. There are no coal mining activities in the Umiew River Catchment upstream from the dam.
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In simpler terms, the water in the Umiew River is usually not acidic enough, but it can become cloudy during the monsoon months because of the quarrying. There is no coal mining near the river, which is good because coal mining can pollute the water.
However, the PHE department has assured to investigate the allegations after the reports.