The Minister of Public Health, Karina Rando, assured that the water supplied by OSE is drinkable, when appearing before the Public Health and Social Assistance Commission of the Chamber of Deputies with the aim of giving explanations for the crisis, water and its quality and how they affect the high levels of sodium, chlorine and trihalomethanes in the health of Uruguayans.
In mid-June, the Ministry of Public Health (MSP) enabled OSE supply to continue with higher levels of sodium and chloride than normal, but also allowed the presence of trihalomethanes, that are formed by the disinfection of water for its potability, an element that raised doubts about its impact on health since it is considered as potentially carcinogenic.
Although Rando withdrew without making any statements to the press, the Deputy Milton Corbo, Vice President of the Public Health Commission of the House of Representatives, stated at a press conference that “It is very clear that the water is drinkable because it does not harm the health of the population.”
When transferring the position of the hierarch, Corbo explained that “the minister was clear that in case the water affects health The population will be informed.” In addition, he stressed that health professionals denied that the Medical consultations by the consumption of water with a higher level of sodium and chloride.
Faced with this, the minister assured at a press conference that the conditions are in place for them to be maintained current sodium characteristicsconductivity and chlorides, so the recommendations by the MSP continue to be the same than those exhorted a few weeks ago.
On the other hand, he assured that in the event that there is a change in the quality of the water will be notified in advance and the recommendations that are made in terms of consumption based on the academic criteria of the honorary advisory group of professors who are following the situation will be informed.
Paso Severino reached maximum salinity levels
Last week the Paso Severino dam achieved an increase in reserves but also a drop in water quality as water salinity levels shot up.
The levels allowed by the MSP are 440 milligrams per liter (mg/l) of sodium and chlorides (720 mg/l). However, pumping line 4 reached the level of 873mg/l, while the sodium was in 516mg/l, being the most affected. Then, on line 5, they reported 785mg/l and 468mg/l, respectively. Finally, in the 6, were registered 871mg/l of chlorides and 515mg/l of sodiums.
Explaining the situation, the government reported that “a rapid increase in the concentration of sodium and chlorides in the Belastiquí dam. In turn, they highlighted that “during the day there have been pumping adjustments and the transfer flow has been reduced to reduce the values.
The different scenarios of the Ministry of Health
In the event that the rains are not enough to recover the necessary reserves, theMSP works on different possible scenarios especially regarding the eventuality that the salinity levels in the water should be increased, and the effects that this would have on the different population groups.
In this sense, the MSP manages a series of “middle ground” depending on how much sodium be the one that comes out of the faucets fed by OSE water: “If it comes out with 720 mg/l we would do one thing, if it comes out with 1,500 we would recommend another and a different one if there are 2,000,” explained the minister random. The maximum values allowed today are 440 mg/l although, despite this, yesterday these were exceeded, reaching a limit of 515 mg/l.
“The scenarios are there, it does not mean that we are going to have to use them. Today the situation is auspicious given the recent rains. we have, we think, weeks ahead with the same water quality. Although it must be taken into account that everything is highly variable, it depends on the water currents, the tides, the wind. As long as this continues, we are not going to provide information on what is expected for each of these scenarios,” Rando said.
Source: Ambito
