Myth about Water Purifiers Exploded

V.Mahesh, member, Mysore Grahakara Parishat writes

The fact that most water purifiers, being marketed with great fanfare, do not purify water well is receiving some publicity(See for example, "Water Purifiers Offer No Safety Against Contamination", DECCAN HERALD, 24-7-08). It has become a fad among educated people to have a water purifier in the kitchen. According to a water purifier company executive, an average of 1500 purifiers are bought in Mysore & about 15000 in Bangalore every month. Thus tens of crores of rupees are being spent by the public on these gadgets in the belief that they would save their health & in turn wealth. This expense is in addition to the tens of crores of rupees which are spent for treatment of public water systems. The irony is that all this huge expenditure is not ensuring the health of the people. So it is essential that the authorities take the following actions.

1.The claims of all "water purifier"s should be thoroughly checked and false claims should be made public and fined heavily for false representation. Such purifiers should be taken off the market.

2.Processing & treatment of water for public supply system is very expensive involving millions of rupees every day. But 95% of the treated water is used for non-potable purposes such as bathing, washing, gardening, etc. and hence does not really need to be highly treated. So most of the money we spend on water treatment is a waste. With this background, the approach on water supply should be rethought.

3. Suitable schemes should be put in place for collection & storage of pure rain water wherever possible for potable requirements exclusively. This would significantly reduce the pressure on water supply systems & public health.

4. WATER IS THE SINGLEMOST IMPORTANT ITEM FOR THE SURVIVAL AND WELFARE OF ALL THE LIVING ORGANISMS. The importance of judicious use of water should be inculcated through media & through education from the primary school level.

MCC should clear footpath encroachments in the suburbs also

Maj.Gen. (Rtd.) S.G. Vombatkere, President, Mysore Grahakara Parishat writes

The footpath clearance drive launched by MCC on Ashoka Road (fish vendors) and Devaraj Urs Road (shopkeepers) is commendable. But the last few footpath clearance drives of MCC seem limited to the central parts of the city. It is desirable that the clearance drives are extended to various extensions of the city as well. The attached photographs show some glaring footpath encroachments in Jayalakshmipuram, V.V. Mohalla and Yadavagiri.

1.The footpath next to HSBC Bank (near Panchavati), Kalidasa Road, V.V. Mohalla.

2.The footpath next to MORE (near Chandrakala Hospital) on Kalidasa Road, Jayalakshmipuram.

3.The footpath next to Vikram Hospital, Vivekananda Road, Yadavagiri.

INDIA'S MINERAL POLICY - SOME ISSUES

V.Mahesh and M.N. Ranganath, members, Mysore Grahakara Parishat write

Mining in Karnataka is, no doubt, an extremely profitable business. The enormous wealth it has created for a few individuals and the effect of this wealth on Karnataka politics is making headlines. It has raised questions whether the state is giving away mining rights at throwaway prices and whether, as a result of this largesse, the state exchequer is losing huge revenues.

These issues are receiving additional attention in the backdrop of a new draft National Mineral Policy (N.M.P.) based on the report of a High-powered Committee headed by Dr. Anwarul Hoda. As geologists who have worked in government and private sectors for over 35 years each, we strongly feel that the following issues must be considered.

1.The draft N.M.P. should be circulated among all the concerned state & central organizations calling for their views compulsorily on every point/ paragraph within a stipulated time - say 90 days. Also wide publicity is to be given through the media calling for comments/suggestions on this draft NMP. within 90 days from all the stakeholders. All such correspondence should be put on website for the information of all the concerned & for the purpose of transparency.

2. Environmental damage and economic benefits are two opposite aspects of mining and they should be carefully balanced. Sustainability must also be considered.

3. The leasing process should be streamlined to minimize delays.

4. All the information related to mine leasing should be on a website so that anybody can apply for the mining rights of any area online, get a lease & carry on the mining activity in a transparent way. This will eliminate corruption at the very beginning and opportunity for anyone to indulge in illegal activities. Stringent punishment clauses should be incorporated for both the illegal mining party and those who abet such acts.

5. Only low grade ores should be allowed to be exported. High grade ores should be earmarked for domestic consumption and only finished products should be permitted to be exported. The price of the ore is a small fraction of the price of the finished goods (and the price of other precious metals present in the ore) and so by exporting raw ore, we lose enormous amounts of revenue. .

6. Right now, the administration in the departments of mines and geology is in the hands of IAS officers who have very little knowledge of the subject. This should be stopped immediately and the administration should be entrusted to capable technical personnel. This will improve the morale of the departments and reduce corruption greatly.

7. Mineral administration is a full-time job involving deep technical knowledge as well as huge financial transactions. It should not be clubbed with ground water exploration as it is being done now. Ground water is also a subject which needs full time involvement because of its importance for drinking, irrigation and industry. If these two departments are combined, neither will get the attention it deserves.

NIRMALA NAGARA Programme: Is It Working?

D.V. Dayanad Sagar, member, Mysore Grahakara Parishat writes


Nirmala Nagara programme was launched with great fanfare last year. Its avowed purpose was to clean up Mysore and make it attractive. Has it made a difference? We offer some photographic evidence.



1. Burning Garbage next to park in Gokulam 3rd Stage (Municipal workers are still burning garbage even though burning garbage is illegal and punishable.)



2. Garbage at Gokulam 3rd Stage 4th Main, 11th Cross (Persons collecting garbage door-to-door are supposed to transport it to the landfill outside the city. Instead, they are dumping it in the neighbourhood itself. They demand that garbage be segregated before collecting it. If all the garbage is dumped together, what is the point is segregating it in the first place?)



3. Garbage at Hebbal Tank (Despite repeated reminders, authorities are not taking any action against people polluting the lakes of the city by dumping garbage and building debris.)



4. Garbage behind K.R. Hospital bus stop (This has become not only a garbage dump, but also a public urinal, thus offending both eyes and nose. How can this be allowed in the heart of the city?)



5. Garbage burning in front of K.R. Hospital (Using the premises of the largest hospital in Southern Karnataka to dump mounds of garbage is inexcusable, but burning it and forcing patients to breathe the poisonous fumes is outright criminal.)



6. Garbage in front of Cheluvamba Hospital (Not to be outdone by K.R. Hospital, there is a huge pile of garbage in front of the neighbouring Cheluvamba Hospital as well!)



7. Garbage next to palace at the end of KSRTC bus stand (Lakhs of tourists who visit the Mysore palace have to carry back memories such as this!)



8. Garbage on Chamundi Hills (Chamundi Hills, which is not just a major tourist attraction, but also a major pilgrimage centre, has probably never been cleaned since the beginning of history. The garbage is just thrown down.)

National Commission Comes Down Heavily On Insurance Companies

P.M.Bhat, member, Mysore Grahakara Parishat writes

It has become common for insurance companies to deny health insurance benefits to customers by claiming that the health problem existed before the policy was made and so is not covered under the policy. The insurance companies were earlier denying insurance benefits saying that the customer knew of his health problem but did not disclose it at the time the policy was made. But exclusionary clauses included in newer policies deny policy coverage in case of preexisting health conditions even though the customer might not be aware of them. Such fraudulent clauses give insurance companies sweeping powers to reject almost any health claim. No wonder, such clauses are being challenged more and more, especially before consumer courts, by unhappy policy holders.

In a recent decision (II (2008) CPJ 146 (NC)) which is a godsend to thousands of health insurance policy holders across the country, the National Consumer Commission has come down heavily on this deceitful practice. Relying on an earlier decision, it has said: "The policy which states that it is immaterial whether the insured had knowledge of the disease or not, and even existence of symptoms of the disease prior to effective date of insurance enables the Insurance Company to disown the liability. If this interpretation is upheld, the Insurance Company is not liable to pay any claim whatsoever, because, every person suffers from symptoms of any disease without the knowledge of the same. This policy is not a policy at all, as it is just a contract entered only for purpose of accepting the premium without the bona fide intention of giving any benefit to the insured under the garb of preexisting disease. Most of the people are totally unaware of the symptoms of the disease that they suffer from and hence they can not be made liable to suffer because the Insurance Company relies on the (exclusionary clause) in a mala fide manner to repudiate all claims. No claim is payable under the mediclaim policy as every human being is born to die and diseases are perhaps preexisting in the system totally unknown to him of which he is genuinely unaware."

The Commission observed caustically that if one can foresee disease from some earlier symptom, then every person would do medical studies and not take any insurance policy at all. The Commission also noted that before insuring, the customer is thoroughly checked by the doctors nominated by the insurance company and if at that time he was found hale and hearty, it would be difficult to conclude that he had suppressed a preexisting disease.

So, if an insurance company refuses to meet its obligations under the pretext of preexisting condition, the affected party should file a complaint before a consumer court for relief.

Final order on Chamalapura

Click here for the final order dated 19-05-2008 on Chamalapura Thermal Power Plant by KERC.

Petition to KERC on Chamalapura

Click here for the full text of the original petition filed by MGP on 19-10-2007 regarding Chamalapura coal based thermal power plant

Mysore's Drinking Water Quality Hits A New Low

C V Nagarj, member, Mysore Grahakara Parishat, writes

Mysore Grahakara Parishat has been periodically testing tap water in Mysore and reporting the results to the public. The quality of drinking water in Mysore has been declining steadily and the latest survey shows that it has hit a new low.

Dr. Ajay Memorial Drinking Water Foundation and Mysore Grahakara Parishat conducted a summer camp for a select group of eighteen high school students recently. The programme consisted only of various experiments (concerned with environment) conducted by the students themselves.

One of these experiments was testing of drinking water. Each student collected tap water from his or her home and tested it for bacterial contamination using the Manja test (Hydrogen sulphide paper strip test) which is a very reliable test for bacterial presence. Thirteen out of the eighteen samples (72%) were found contaminated (out of which 11% were extremely contaminated, 56% highly contaminated and 5% moderately contaminated).

This high figure of bacterial contamination is ominous since it is well-known that contamination increases after the monsoon begins. The first rains bring in a heavy load of organic matter to the KRS reservoir. It is very difficult to filter the turbid water containing a high load of organisms. So the water that comes out of the filtration unit in the water treatment plant still has a lot of suspended organic material in it. Chlorination is not 100% effective against pathogenic bacteria if there is a lot of suspended organic matter in water and so the danger of contaminated water which is already high will increase even more in the next month.

The students participating in the summer camp also tested water from bore wells for dissolved salts. Total dissolved salt (TDS) content varied from 600 milligrams per liter to 1,500 milligrams per liter in the eighteen samples tested. According to drinking water specifications (IS 10500:1991) of the Bureau of Indian Standards, 500 milligrams per litre is the desirable level for TDS. Therefore, TDS of all the bore wells tested exceeded this level. Excessive TDS is known to cause cancer and other diseases.

A bacteriological test of bore well water was not conducted. But it is very likely that most of the bore wells are also bacterially contaminated. A survey conducted by Mysore City Corporation in 1999 had showed that 47% of the bore wells were bacterially contaminated. It is estimated that this percentage has now gone up to more than 70%.

MCC authorities are saying that the situation can not be improved until the JNNURM project to overhaul water supply in the city is completed. It is a misleading answer since the JNNURM project will only upgrade the water supply infrastructure. But if MCC does not improve its water treatment, we may get 24x7 water, but it will be unsafe water.

The citizens of Mysore would be well-advised to purify water before drinking it. They can use water purifying kits such as Aquaguard or boil water or immerse a clean (EC grade) copper sheet in the water for 24 hours to kill the harmful bacteria (For more information on these and other methods, call Prof. A. Ramalingam at 6568892).