The water supplied to households for drinking, cooking and other purposes in Dhurwa and HEC quarter areas of the Capital City contains very less or negligible amount of minerals. Supply of low TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) water has been observed in the area.
TDS is the amount of dissolved minerals and other elements in the water, measured in mg per litre. According to Bureau of Indian Standards- Drinking water specification (Second Revision), the TDS in drinking water should range between 500 to 2000. 500 is the required limit while 2000 is the permissible limit (in absence of any alternate source).
In the water sample collected from HEC quarters and tested at State Level Water Testing Lab, the TDS measured was 65 mg/l, which is much less below what is required.
According to National Institute of Public Health, long term drinking of water with low TDS is considered hazardous to health. It causes mineral deficiencies with subsequent ill health effects. Specifically, intake of water low in calcium and magnesium is very harmful as they are necessary for the overall functioning of the body. Low water TDS accelerates loss of calcium, magnesium and other essential elements, if the food is prepared using it.
Dr Ajay Kumar of IMA, Jharkhand termed the issue very serious and said “Anything shifting from normal to abnormal will always have adverse effects.” He insisted on consuming water with balanced TDS.
Dr Ranvijay Bharti NMCH Patna, said “Low TDS water causes retardation in enzymatic and hormonal metabolism of the body, disturbs mineral homeostasis, leads to diuresis and is less thirst quenching.” He also discussed about weakness in muscles and bones and tiredness associated with its long term (more than an year) usage.
Noted environmentalist Dr Nitish Priyadarshi, said “Low water TDS means not getting enough minerals which ultimately in long run leads to muscle pain including heart muscles, bone and body pain and also disturbs heart pumping efficiency.”
Krishna Kumar, Lab Assistant State Level Water Testing Lab on being asked about the issue of low water TDS, suggested that additional minerals must be added to supply water before its dispersal to the households.
Drinking water and Sanitation Department, Division Hatia is clueless about the issue. Executive Engineer Reyaz assured about the TDS getting checked as soon as possible.
With this low TDS water supply, the residents and the local people certainly do not meet the requirements of minerals necessary for the body and are further in vulnerable conditions if this scenario continues in long run.
