Kannur: Bacteria has been found in dangerous proportions in bottled water sold by some companies in Kerala. However, the public is in the dark about contaminated water and risk their health as the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) insists the names of the companies can't be revealed since prosecution proceedings are on. As the law doesn't empower the department to ban these companies, they continue to market bottled water.
According to a reply provided by the food commissionerate, Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria and Coliform bacteria have been found in the tested water. E. coli comes from human faeces and Coliform is found in the remains of animals. It is suspected the water that was bottled was maligned by human excreta. It has also been confirmed that the water contained fungi, obviously because it was quite old.
Coliform bacillus gets destroyed if water is boiled, but E. coli doesn't. Such water can cause serious diseases including diarrhoea and jaundice.
The department revealed that water marketed by 10 companies was found to be extremely harmful during inspection carried out over a period of six months. The companies, which have the privilege to remain unidentified, are not barred from continuing to sell bottled water though the contaminated batches are withdrawn. The infected water has been sold mostly in Alappuzha and Kottayam districts.
Those who sell 'unsafe' products could be jailed for up to six months and fined Rs 2 lakh. But the case could drag on for four or five years. The public never get to know the names of these companies either.
Adulteration rampant
Edible items from mustard to meat are known to be widely adulterated and they are sold in Kerala. Coconut oil is considered the worst adulterated, with 87 samples found to be of low quality within six months. Among masala powders, coriander powder is the most adulterated. Contamination has been found also in pickle, frozen meat, and bakery items.
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