Boiled water not entirely safe, health official says

Many Indonesian households boil water for drinking, when in fact boiled water can still contain harmful E. coli bacteria, a health ministry conference heard Wednesday.

The national conference promoted three other techniques which are said to be healthier, energy-efficient and low-cost.

A 2007 study found that 99.2 percent Indonesian households knew only of boiling as a means to purify water for drinking, but tests showed that even after raising it to 100 degrees Celsius, 47.5 percent of the liquid was still contaminated with deadly bacteria.

"There are actually other low-cost technology options available," the director general for disease control and environmental sanitation at the Health Ministry, I Nyoman Kandun, said on the sidelines of the conference.

Kandun said low-cost technologies for making drinking water include chlorination, solar disinfection and filtration. "They are as affordable and safe ... as the common boiling technique," he said.

The conference said the three techniques were also cheaper than buying bottled drinking water.

Chlorination treatment involves adding chlorine, like solid calcium hypochlorite, liquid sodium hypochlorite or NaDCC tablets, into stirred, clear water and waiting about 30 minutes.

Since 2006, a partnership program between the government, the private sector and an NGO has been distributing a chlorination product called Air RahMat, which stands for murah (affordable), mudah (easy to use) and sehat (healthy) water.

With a 1.25 percent sodium hypochlorite solution, it will be sold at street kiosks, shops and pharmacies.

Solar disinfection involves exposing clear water in clear plastic bottles to sunlight for at least six hours on a sunny day or up to two days on cloudy days. It can be done by placing the bottles on rooftops.

Filtration refers to the use of ceramic filters, made of a mixture of 85 percent crushed clay and 15 percent crushed rice husks, which is attached to a drinking water dispenser. The filter's small pores and silver nitrate coat can control bacterial growth while also effectively removing microbes and other suspended solids in water, the conference heard.

The ministry cited a 2007 World Health Organization study which showed that better household drinking water treatments may reduce diarrhea cases by up to 39 percent.

During the conference, the Health Ministry also launched an initiative to implement community-based sanitation programs in 10,000 villages around 214 cities in 27 provinces, planned for completion by 2012. Currently, some 3,000 villages already run the program. Agnes Winarti

Post Date : 21 Agustus 2008