Bacteria in Mudkud River samples, fresh test report awaited

Bacteria in Mudkud River samples, fresh test report awaited
HERALD CORRESPONDENT
CANACONA, MAY 13
The Mudkud River samples, where almost all marine life including fish died last week, is detected with the presence of bacteria, but the cause is yet to be established in a test report available with local PWD.
According to sources in local PWD (Water Supply), the test report of the Mudkud River water is received. The samples were sent to PHE lab in Tonca for testing, but further test reports of fresh water samples sent on Wednesday are also awaited.
“We are advised not to resume pumping of Mudkud river water till the test report on fresh samples is received,” informed a local officer.
A PWD officer told Herald that the report speaks about presence of Choliform and Ecoli, type of bacteria’s in water, which could be possibly due to presence of dead fish in the river.
The officer further informed that the report was silent about the presence of anything else including chlorine or any other chemicals as suspected by locals.
The officer however, could not throw any light as to the reason for the death of entire marine life in Mudkud River, which prompted PWD to stop pumping of river water for supplying it to residents of Agonda and Khola last week.
“However, let us wait for the fresh report and till then the water pumping will remain suspended even though we have discharged all the blocked water from the river and fresh water is again blocked by using locally made ‘bhand’ below the WRD bhandara at Mudkud,” informed an junior officer of PWD (water supply).
However, locals suspect whether the actual reason or the cause of Mudkud river water poisoning episode will be actually brought out by the department to the public knowledge in order to save some people skin.
In the river poisoning that almost shook the entire locality at Agonda and Khola last Thursday, rotten fish, snakes were seen floating dead in the river emanating foul smell. Two calves and a dog had died after reportedly consuming dead fish and river water.
The fate of samples collected by health officer is also not known, as a previous Chlorine test done locally by PWD authorities last week have revealed presence of Chlorine residue in the ratio of 5.8 DO(dissolve Oxygen).