India records the world’s highest per-capita incidence of water-borne diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid and hepatitis, in spite of which concern for safe drinking water is still abysmally low even among educated Indians. This alarming indifference was borne out in a survey conducted by market research agency Research International Ltd. Based on a study of 3,000 households spread across all major cities in India. The survey found that over 73 per cent of all households in the highest income categories (SECA & B) drink tap water without boiling it and as many as 55 percent of the same group drink tap water after filtration through a cloth, but without boiling.
Though every school child knows that unboiled tap water contains un-seen disease causing germs, and is unsafe to drink, the high level of indifference to boiling water will come as a surprise to many. Comments Dr. S.S. Narvekar, Deputy Director, Directorate of Health Services, Government of Maharashtra. “We regularly monitor water quality in all major urban centres in this State. During 1995-96, we found that 9,730 out of 159,233 samples of water were
contaminated with disease causing organisms, representing a high 6.11 per cent of the total number of samples collected and analysed. This is an alarmingly high level of contamination considering that Maharashtra is one of the more
developed states in India and it may be higher in other states. Also during late summer months when there is water scarcity, and during these months it is doubly important to ensure drinking water is adequately sanitised.”
QUESTION:
1. In India the concern of safe drinking water is:
(A) very low
(B) good
(C) enough
(D) more than expected
2. In the highest number of categories the number of people drink tap water without boiling it is:
(A) about half of the house holds
(B) all the house holds
(C) nearly three fourths of the households
(D) one fourth of the households
3. During rainy season, drinking water should be:
(A) cleaned
(B) sanitised
(C) stored
(D) used
4. There is a high level of _____ to boiling water.
(A) interest
(B) indifference
(C) care
(D) curiosity
5. According to the passage, un-boiled tap water contains _____ .
(A) impurities
(B) chemicals
(C) germs
(D) waste matter
(Source: SSC Higher Secondary Level Data Entry Operator & LDC Exam Held on—27-11-2010)
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