Kerala has the highest chemical/bacterial contaminated
drinking water among 28 tested States in the country, according to the
Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, the State’s Economic
Review for 2011-2012 has stated.
As on January 9 this
year, out of the total 1,02,900 tested sources in the State, nearly 34
per cent had been identified with contamination of iron, fluoride,
salinity, nitrate, arsenic and other bacteria with Kozhikode district
having the most contaminated water in the State.
Out
of 10,803 tested sources, 54 per cent were found to be contaminated
there while Thiruvananthapuram, Kannur, Kasaragod, Ernakulam and
Palakkad being the other vulnerable districts in terms of access to safe
drinking water in the State.
The Review, which
states that there was a mistaken notion that Kerala was abundant in
water resources, points out that despite the southwest and north east
monsoons, there was a large spatial and temporal variation in the
rainfall system and the abundance of water resources in one season led
to shortage in the next season. Rapid urbanization, increased economic
activity, population explosion and changes in land use pattern among
others were widening the gap between the demand for and the supply of
water.
It calls for an integrated water management system and augmentation of existing water resources.
