DOH, LGUs urged to check nitrate levels of private wells

A water supplier has urged the officials of the Department of Health and the local government units to check the water from private wells that is being consumed by lots of Cebuanos.

Antonio Tompar, chief executive officer and president of Mactan Rock Industries Inc., said that unknown to many, majority of Cebuanos are using water from private wells that are not being monitored or checked if they are safe for drinking.

He made the statement following reports that the Metro Cebu Water District is now closely monitoring some of its water wells for possible septage contamination.  Mactan Rock is one of the major water suppliers of MCWD.

However, Tompar said he is concerned because MCWD only supplies water to about 30 percent of the populace of Metro Cebu.

“How about the remaining 70 percent who get water from private wells that are not monitored?” he asked.

With this, he urged Health and LGU officials in Metro Cebu to check these private wells for the nitrate content of their water.  He added that most of the diseases that affect the people are water-borne.

“Even if you filter the water, dili magsilbi because nitrate is like salt.  It could not be filtered,” Tompar said.

Earlier, MCWD general manager Armando Paredes said the water district is currently monitoring two wells, which are located in the populated areas in the city proper and in Talamban, due to high nitrate content of their water.

He said that the nitrate levels of the water in these two wells are slightly higher than the standard nitrate content for drinking water.

“Their nitrate levels are slightly higher but still not considered harmful. But for small children it can cause diseases,” Paredes said in an earlier interview with reporters.

He said that high level of nitrate is suspected to be caused by septic tanks and household wastes.  Excessive use of fertilizer can also lead to the presence of nitrate.

But Paredes assured that they are constantly monitoring their wells and water sources to make sure these are not contaminated by nitrates, coliform or other elements that might cause ailments.

Reports said MCWD has already abandoned about 10 wells since the 1980s due to high concentration of nitrate or high level of salinity.

“Ten wells are about 10 percent of the total number of wells that MCWD has.  But the people are also growing in number so many people have also septic tanks,” Tompar said.

A research from the Internet said that the usual standard for nitrate in drinking water is 10 milligrams per liter.

Short-term exposure to drinking water with a nitrate level at or just above the health standard of 10 mg/l is a potential health problem primarily for infants.  Babies consume large quantities of water relative to their body weight, especially if water is used to mix powdered or concentrated formulas or juices.

Also, their immature digestive systems are more likely than adult digestive tracts to allow the reduction of nitrate to nitrite. In particular, the presence of nitrite in the digestive tract of newborns can lead to a disease called methemoglobinemia.  -Wenna A. Berondo/MEEV