Kerala Water Authority taps spout salt water now

KOZHIKODE: The residents of Koyilandy, Vadakara and nearby towns have been getting salty  water for drinking  purposes for the last few months.  They fear that the high sodium content in the water supplied by the  Kerala Water Authority  may damage their health. “The salty water has caused  my hair loss.  It is bad for my children’s health also,” said Reshma Sathish, a bank employee residing at  Vadakara town.   “When we wash fruits, vegetables, rice and dishes, the remnants of sodium remain on them. We are  now  buying water from private sources,” she added.

“We doubt that the KWA  draws  water from the sea and purifies it.  In that case  the water will  have a percentage of sodium,” Reshma  opined. But the officials  said that the water for most parts of Vadakara region was  taken from Kurakottu Kadavu and   Gulligapuzhya which is part of Kuttiyadi river.  It is supplied to the residents  after treating it at the Vadakara plant of the water authority, they said.

“The water pumped  from Kuttiyadi river has  salt content  and hence even after treating it, a small amount of salt remains,”  a KWA official said. Earlier, a similar situation had arisen when the Peruvannamuzhi dam was opened, but now the threat is there even before the dam is opened.  Tests have shown that  one litre of  water contains 250 to 300 grams of salt.   Discussions will be held with the  authorities to rectify the issue and find a new source of water, he  said.