CHENNAI: Following recent incidents of water contamination in several districts across the state, health department officials said on Sunday that testing of samples was being done and that chlorination was also being undertaken by civic bodies.

Krishnagiri and Kancheepuram districts reported many diarrhoea and vomitting cases due to consumption of contaminated drinking water. Others like Trichy, Erode, Thoothukudi, and Thiruvalluvar have also reported instances of hospitalisation following water contamination.

Even as the state health department has already begun testing samples of water and chlorination of drinking water storage and supply units in coordination with the local bodies, the public has been instructed to exercise caution when consuming drinking water from unknown sources.

A senior official from the state health department said that the contamination of drinking water has been a concern as pre-monsoon rains have led to favourable conditions for bacterial growth.

Dr T S Selvavinayagam, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said, "Most of these water contamination incidents were reported through our surveillance mechanism. Providing treatment to the affected persons, villages, and areas will be done by our medical team immediately."

The doctor also mentioned that continuous chlorination of all water sources by the concerned local bodies and Metro Water department officials was a simple yet effective solution. Chlorination is effective in killing a wide range of bacteria, which ensures that they are unable to cause infections.

"The public is advised to boil water before drinking. The state department team will also step up its surveillance," he said.