Half Colombia has dirty drinking water: Govt

[Judi Lynn]

Half Colombia has dirty drinking water: Govt
Tuesday, 22 March 2011 10:46
Hannah Aronowitz

As part of World Water Day, Colombia's National Health Institute revealed that half of the country's departments register contaminated drinking water, Caracol Radio reported Tuesday.

The report shows that only 12.5% of the departments in Colombia offer water safe for human consumption, with the Surveillance System for Potable Water Quality warning that 15% of departments have "high risk" water.

On average, nationwide samples of water reveal contamination of residual chlorine, microorganisms, E. coli, and coliform bacteria.

In addition to poor water quality, Colombia faces a shortage of potable water due to deforestation and the expansion of agricultural land, newspaper El Espectador reported.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/15064-colombias-drinking-water-at-risk.html