Mangaluru: Water supplied by the Mangaluru City Corporation is largely not potable as it is reportedly contaminated with fecal coliforms or the bacteria that are always present in the digestive tracts of animals, including humans, and are found in their wastes.

Lab analysis made by Mangalore Biotech Laboratory, which is the first lab with National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accreditation in DK district shows that water samples collected from Surathkal, Katipalla, Krishnapura, Chilimbi, Bondel and other places were highly contaminated with fecal coliforms.

Putting out the startling details, former minister Krishna J Palemar said that water samples were collected from 27 areas in the city and the outcome of the test has been shocking.

According to the report prepared by the lab, the water collected from Government Hospital in Surathkal was contaminated with the presence of coliforms, especially fecal coliforms. The value of total coliforms found in the water sample collected from the Government Hospital in Surathkal is 1,600 MPN/100ml and it has presence of 900 MPN/100ml of fecal coliform in it while water is considered potable only if the values of total coliforms and fecal coliforms are zero.

He said that water samples collected from Katipalla Masjid, Bondel, Chilimbi, Krishnapura 7th Block and Krishnapura water tank show high presence of coliforms.

Palemar said that with the reports out, it is evident that large population of the city is prone to diseases that these pathogens can cause and that testing the drinking water will confirm the same.

The most common symptoms that an individual would face if there are disease causing bacteria in drinking water include gastrointestinal upset, general flu-like symptoms such as fever, abdominal cramps and diarrhea, pneumonia, other respiratory illness and urinary tract infections.