by R. Krishna Kumar, originally posted on April 14, 2016

A study has revealed that the drinking water supplied to Mysuru and surrounding regions is chemically contaminated.

The study, undertaken by the city-based National Institute of Engineering (NIE), indicated that the drinking water sources were contaminated with the chemical phthalate, which is detrimental to ones health in the long run.

Groundwater contamination was also observed owing to the seeping in of domestic sewage in many places, including borewells near open drains.

The groundwater in industrial zones of Mysuru was found to be contaminated with a variety of chemicals of which phthalates are extensively used in formulations of pesticides and plastics.

The two-year study on water quality in general and phthalate contamination in particular was carried out by postgraduate students and two faculty members of the Department of Civil Engineering at NIE, with funding from the Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP), a World Bank–MHRD initiative, according to G.L. Shekar, principal, NIE. Water samples were collected from surface and groundwater sources within Mysuru city. The sample locations included residential areas of Kuvempunagar and Gokulam, and commercial areas such as Irwin Road and Hootagalli industrial areas. In addition, water samples were also collected from the Kabini and Cauvery, the two main surface sources of drinking water to Mysuru city.

Initial extraction of analyte (substance for testing) was done at the Environmental Engineering Laboratory at NIE and further analysis was carried out at a reputed research institute in Bengaluru, according to K.C. Manjunath and M.S. Kanchana, who led the study.