Boil water first, people warned
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Artesian water should not be consumed or at least boiled before consumption, flood victims were warned yesterday.
“We are not saying that it is unsafe to drink groundwater, but boiling it before drinking is much safer,” Dr Suwannachai Watthanayingcharoenchai, deputy director-general of the Disease Control Department, said yesterday.
The water could be contaminated after flooding, especially if it is sucked up from wells located not far from garbage disposal or toxic chemical storage sites, he said.
Celebrities on television programmes have been encouraging flood victims to quench their thirst with fresh groundwater.
“Consumption of underground water is fine, but drinking it, without or without boiling it, is not recommended, as there could be minerals unsuitable for drinking mixed with it,” he added.
