Health agency examines potable water

The Denpasar Health Agency conducted laboratory testing on samples of potable water taken from several sellers throughout the city to ensure the quality.

“We examined the samples to ensure consumers drink healthy potable water,” said Tri Indarti, the agency’s head of environmental health.

Tri called on the public to be careful when buying refills of potable, or drinking water, including checking whether the seller has secured a certificate to declare the safety of the water.

The result of the examination has yet to be disclosed. According to the agency’s data, there are 321 stores selling refills of potable water.

To ease the supervision, the government established the association of refillable drinking water sellers, which is responsible for disseminating information about the quality requirements of drinking water that they should obey.

I Ketut Widana, one of the sellers, said the test were necessary for them to gain customers’ trust, since there are many similar stores selling drinking water with questionable quality.

“Our customers will be sure that our drinking water is safe, because we have the certificate,” he said.

Many people buy refills of drinking water because it is cheaper than popular brands. The refills sell at
Rp 4,000 (US 4.24 cents) per gallon, while branded gallons cost between Rp 10,000 to Rp 15,000 per gallon.

Bali Tirta, a refill potable water business, buys its water from a supplier who takes the water from a spring in Banjar Gulingan in Mengwi, Badung regency. The water is sold in tanks and filtered before it is sold.

I Ketut Raka said he had always been very prudent in buying potable water for refills, since once he found that the water he had bought contained hazardous substances. “I checked the water I bought with a special detector, and found that it contained ferric and cupric substances.”

The quality of drinking water in Bali is dubious and examinations of water taken from several rivers, lakes and mountain springs have indicated a decreasing quality. Environment experts have predicted that the island will face a water deficit in the next five years.

The report on environmental conditions in Bali said that most of the water sources in rivers and lakes had been contaminated by chemicals and biological hazards from farming and household activities.

The water in Ayung River has been identified as containing organic substances, as shown by the high amount of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), nitrite and phosphate that exceed normal levels.

“With the increasing population and development, the quality of water is degrading. Water tends to be polluted,” said Alit Sastrawan, head of the provincial environment agency.

These hazards are mixed with the water through the atmosphere, soil, as well as waste from farming, household and industrial activities.

A research also showed that the water of Beratan Lake had excessive levels of BOD, COD and turbidity.