Andhra Pradesh

‘West Godavari vulnerable to blue baby syndrome’

ELURU: West Godavari district, which heavily depends on surface water for drinking, is found vulnerable to the incidence of blue baby syndrome, which means a baby born with a blue complexion from lack of oxygen in the blood, says A. Satish, Chief Chemist of Andhra Pradesh State Water Sanitation Mission.

Speaking at a workshop on water quality held here under the aegis of the Department of Rural Water Supply, Mr. Satish said excessive presence of nitrates in drinking water sources acted as a causative factor for the prevalence of the syndrome. Indiscriminate application of nitrogen in agricultural fields by farmers led the drinking water sources to become dumping grounds with nitrates, he added.

The situation was similar in almost all the coastal tracts depending on surface water for drinking, he said. However, surface water with rich presence of minerals did not pose any threat of fluorosis as seen in the upland areas depending on ground water for drinking. But surface water earned notoriety for bacterial contamination, he observed.

Mr. Satish informed that the RWS department had provided water testing kits to 140 gram panchayats in the district on a pilot basis under National Rural Drinking Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance Programme.

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