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A recent study by a government-aided body has revealed that eight districts of Gujarat have been drinking contaminated water. Chemical and bacterial contamination of water in the districts has been reported under the Multi-District Assessment of Water Safety (M-DAWS) study by the Water Sanitation Management Organisation (WASMO). The study reveals that residual chlorine considered to give water its potable quality and protect it from microbiological contamination was absent in most of the samples tested. What is alarming is the fact that small amounts of human and animal faeces were found in the water. More than permissible amounts of nitrate, fluorides and total dissolved solids (TDS) were also found in most of the samples.
