THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a first of its kind initiative, the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and Department of Environmental Sciences will conduct a survey of the presence of antimicrobial residues in the water bodies in the city. The study will be conducted in the water bodies in Thiruvananthapuram. Most recently, the state had launched the Kerala AMR Strategic Action Plan, against antimicrobial resistance. “We have prepared a proposal for the study. The main water bodies in the city including Karamana and Killiyar will be put under the ambit of the study. Some streams will also be covered as part of the study,” said Sheela AM, environmental engineer, KSPCB.
According to her, samples will be collected from water bodies and it will be tested for AMR bacteria and their AMR genes. The results will be then handed over to the Health Department for taking adequate measures. At the same time, V Salom Gnana Thanga, associate professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, said the study will be conducted with the help of departments like Health, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries.
As per a study report of the World Health Organization (WHO), human excreta and untreated waste water are present in antimicrobial agents. In addition to that, places which lack facilities to treat municipal, community and household wastes were also vulnerable to AMR. “It is estimated that up to 90 per cent of all waste water which is discharged into the water bodies is untreated. The areas that have the most presence of AMR bacteria and AMR genes were waste water treatment plants, waste discharges production facilities, hospitals and other health-care facilities, “ says the WHO.
It was following the emergence of AMR as a global public health concern that the Health Department with the help of various other departments launched the KARSAP in October. While listing the various set of objectives to be undertaken by different departments and agencies to address AMR, the document stated that the KSPCB should not only strengthen its state antibiotic residue control plan in the environment but also take up activities including identification of sources of AMR and collection of baseline data.
Meanwhile, KSPCB said that in its fight against AMR, there is a need to strengthen its laboratory as well as to increase its staff strength. It has submitted a detailed proposal to the State Planning Board.