High Foreign Content In Treated Water In Kelantan And Perlis
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20,2009 (Bernama) -- Treated water in Kelantan and Perlis has been found to a have high content of foreign material such as chlorine, E.coli bacteria, aluminium and ferum (iron), according to the 2008 Auditor-General's Report.
It says laboratory tests conducted at the Pintu Geng Water Treatment Plant in Kota Baharu found the iron content in the treated water to exceed 0.3 mg per litre.
In February 2009, tests conducted 20 times a day found the iron content in the treated water to be between 1.5 and 1.8 mg per litre every day, it adds.
The report says a Health Ministry test conducted on potable water in Perlis showed that the water contained chlorine (7.1 per cent), E.coli (6.8 per cent) and aluminium (4.1 per cent).
"The frequency of tests at plants of only five or six times a day is not enough to determine whether the quality of the water supplied to consumers is safe," says the report.
The report recommends that gazetting of water catchments, water intakes and water bodies be expedited to step up the quality of potable water.
-- BERNAMA