The water you drink at Ramlila Maidan is not fail-safe

Consuming water from the pouches supplied at Ramlila ground, where Anna Hazare is fasting for the Jan Lokpal Bill, can be injurious to health, warn experts.

Thousands of protestors who have gathered at the ground in support of the Gandhian have access to drinking water from three sources — bottled water, water packets and Delhi Jal Board tanker.

“The water from water pouches is not good for health and we advise the masses not to consume it. Since it is not good for health, MCD has not given licence to any such manufacturer for producing drinking water pouches,” Dr V K Monga, chairman of MCD’s public health committee, said.

“We tried locating the manufacturer, but the pouches did not have the correct name and address. These packets are either being smuggled in from outside or there is an illegal manufacturer in the city,” he said.

MCD’s two mobile dispensaries that are functioning at the Ramlila ground has already treated nearly 700 patients who presented themselves with complaints of either abdominal pain, fever, diarrhoea, eye pain, or vomiting.

“We are being given these water packets since Day One of our stay here. When I tried opening the packet, it smelt awful. I advised my husband to get bottled water,” a supporter of Anna Hazare from Mumbai who is present at the ground said.

“Bottled water and water packed in plastic glasses are being supplied only to VIPs. We are being given these packet waters. We try our best not to consume this water as some of our friends have fallen ill after consuming it, but the water we get from home is not enough to sustain the whole day,” another supporter here said.

A malaria clinic has also been made functional at the Ramlila ground. Dr Monga said, “We have collected 54 blood slides till now in our malaria clinic. We are seeing to it that there is no outbreak of any vector borne-diseases here.”

PTI