Tarumitra, a city-based organisation, which works for environmental causes, has come up with an initiative to organise a flash mob on June 4, the eve of World Environ-ment Day.
A group of people, who assemble suddenly in a public place and perform an unusual act for a brief span of time to voice an issue, is called a flash mob. Around 30 to 40 college students would participate in this. Tarumitra would organise the flash mob to spread the message that there is no need to fully depend on purifiers for safe drinking water. The treated water loses many essential minerals, which are required by the body. According to Tarumitra, residents already have access to pure water in the city and so they need not use water treated by the reverse osmosis (RO) formula.
Tarumitra has created a Facebook page to invite students to take part in the event. So far, students of Patna Women's College, St Xavier's College of Management and Technology and Vanijya Mahavidyalaya have got themselves registered for the event.
Sanskriti, 29, a final-year economics honours student of Patna Women's College, who would be leading Tarumitra's event, said: "Tarumitra conducted a research last year through which we got to know that the water, which people drink in the city, is safe. Last year, we collected samples of water from 10 different places, including Patna Junction, Police Line, Mauryalok Complex, AG Colony, Mithapur bus stand and Hartman Girls' High School and tested them through a spectrophotometer. We found no problem in the water. Those who spread the theory of RO purifiers for safe drinking water are totally wrong. Drinking treated water will do no good to people because it loses many important minerals, which are required by the human body. We want to spread the word in an innovative way. Hence, we are organising this event."?
"How many people stop by and give a thought to any rally or dharna? No one seems to be interested in these. Besides, their nature is violent. We are peace-loving people. So, we decided to organise a flash mob to raise the issue," she added.
Noted environmentalist Ashok Ghosh who also happens to be the member of the appraisal committee of State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, said he himself checked water samples sourced from the various locations in the city, which he found pure and fit for drinking.
"Patna provides safe drinking water to all the residents. Only those who live in areas near the Ganga (arsenic level is high in the water of these areas) or those who live in areas where drainage is poor, get unsafe drinking water.," he said.
Ghosh said using RO at homes had become a matter of social status for people.
"People should use RO purifiers at home, only after testing the water in their locality. als," he added.
