Contaminated water from Sunnam Cheruvu poses health risks, says PCB report

PCB report of water samples from tankers find high levels of lead, cadmium, nickel; police cases have been filed against those selling borewell water from Sunnam Cheruvu for drinking purposes, says Hydraa

Hyderabad: Water tanker suppliers are found to be providing contaminated water from Sunnam Cheruvu in Madhapur, posing health risks to consumers.

Based on the water samples analysis report released by the Telangana Pollution Control Board (PCB), the Hydraa on Friday revealed that “these suppliers are drilling borewells illegally near Sunnam Cheruvu and supplying contaminated water, jeopardizing public health.”

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Hydraa seeks to protect the decades-old Sunnam Cheruvu and had recently approached the TGPCB requesting them to test the water samples from the water body.

According to Hydraa, the water tanker suppliers are extracting water through borewells illegally, endangering the health of hostel students in the surrounding areas. The stench near Sunnam Cheruvu is unbearable, yet the water is being supplied as drinking water to educational institutions, hostels, and hotels in the vicinity, posing a threat to lives, it said in a release.

The TGPCB team collected borewell samples from four tankers on June 25 and tested them in PCB’s central laboratory. The analysis report stated that the groundwater around Sunnam Cheruvu is at dangerous levels of contamination.

“Analysis of water samples from tankers found excessive levels of lead, cadmium, and nickel, which can severely impact health,” warned the pollution body report.

The PCB found these levels between 0.073 and 0.122 around Sunnam Cheruvu, which is 7 to 12 times higher than the acceptable limit. These levels could affect children’s brain activity, reduce memory power, cause anaemia, and impact kidneys, blood pressure, heart health, and reproductive health.

The cadmium levels were found to be between 0.007 and 0.010 which were almost two to three times higher than acceptable limits. “High cadmium levels lead to kidney damage, weakening bones, and can also cause cancer,” it said.

Meanwhile, nickel levels were between 0.038 and 0.046, twice the acceptable limit, and doctors warn that this could lead to skin diseases and damage the liver and kidneys, leading to high blood pressure at a young age.

Police cases have been filed against those selling borewell water from Sunnam Cheruvu for drinking purposes, Hydraa said in the release.

A look at the lake
• Sunnam Cheruvu spans 32.60 acres between Guttala Begumpet and Allapur villages

• Located on the border of Serilingampally and Kukatpally mandals

• Nearly Rs 10 crore being invested to protect the lake from pollution and ensure clean water storage