Naegleria Deaths: Water board assures supply chlorinated

KARACHI:

As investigations continue into the Naegleria parasite deaths, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) says it is maintaining more than enough levels of chlorine at its filter plants to kill the single-cell organism.

Chief engineer Zaheer Abbas, who is in charge of all the filter plants, gave his assurance. “Just two days back I checked the level at the COD Filter Plant and it was 2.5 ppm (part per million),” he said. “People are saying all sorts of things about this organism.

But I can assure you our system is clean.”

There could be many reasons for the water being infected, he added, however.

“People use water from underground aquifers and there could be sewage mixing with the water pipelines.” KWSB mixes chlorine in the water at five filter plants.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 23^rd, 2012.