Mangaluru: Students protest after finding dead rats, cats in college well

Mangaluru, Nov 11: Hundreds of students of Canara Pre-University College on Jail Road protested on Friday against the college management for forcing them to drink contaminated well water.

The students, who got the water tested at KMC Hospital, found that the water they had been consuming for several months is contaminated. The laboratory report states that the bacteriological water shows significant numbers of coliforms concluding that the quality of water is 'unsatisfactory and not suitable for drinking.'

Protesting students said: "When we raised this issue with the college management, they were reluctant to clean the well and told us to drink that water or stay thirsty. Students added that the surface of the water in the well is fully covered with dirt and other waste materials. "We have also found dead rats, cats and other small animals in the well. We will continue our protest till the issue is solved," they said.

As prohibitory orders were clamped across the district in view of the Tipu Jayanti, police personnel rushed to the campus thinking that there was trouble.

A microbiologist said that when coliforms have been detected in the well water used fo r drinking, repairs or modifications of the water system may be required.

Boiling water is advised until disinfection and retesting can confirm that contamination has been eliminated. "A defective well is often the cause when coliform bacteria are found in the well water," he added.

Prabha Kamath Hundi, college principal, said that they have declared a holiday for the college on Saturday and classes will resume on Monday. "We have undertaken the repair and cleaning of the well, water tanks and other water storage units in the college. The issue will be resolved soon," she added.