Kampar Riau Health Office Clarifies Sikumbang Water Drinking Ban

Photo archive. A worker takes a bath while the other workers fill the jerry can with water flowing from the Sikumbang spring for sale in Kampar Regency. (ANTARA/FB Anggoro)

RIAU - The Health Office (Dinkes) of Kampar Regency, Riau Province, issued a clarification regarding the issuance of a letter prohibiting drinking Sikumbang water because it contains colliform bacteria that are viral on social media. The Kampar Health Office has re-issued letter Number 440/Dinkes/Kesmas 3/2023/1223 dated August 9, 2023 as clarification against the previous letter Number 440/Dinkes/Kesmas 3/2023/2395 dated July 31, 2023. In the clarification letter, it is stated that the water sample comes from a jerry can belonging to a resident whose family has diarrhea. The results of laboratory analysis on the sample show that there is a content of 240/100 mlm colliform bacteria which is thought to come from an unhygienic jerry canon. "Consumers should pay attention to the health side, drink water that has been boiled first, there is no intention of prohibiting the sale of Sikumbang Water," said Kampar Health and Sports Health Sub-Coordinator Abdullah Kadir in Kampar, as reported by Antara, Friday, August 11. His party intends that people continue to pay attention to the habit of living a healthy life by boiling the water that will be consumed. The first circular was made because there were 21 cases of Penyasawan Village residents, Kampar District, who were affected by diarrhea. From the residents' information, the water they drank was Sikumbang Water. The Health Office then conducted a laboratory test and the results were water containing colliform bacteria. Abdullah admitted that there was an error in submitting the first letter because he did not mention the origin of Sikumbang Water from Penyasawan Village, only mentioning Air Sikumbang. Meanwhile, samples of laboratory tests were taken from water in the residents' jerry cans. Meanwhile, the source of the Sikumbang Water in Penyasawan Village resulted in zero colliform and drinkable bacteria. Hygienic treatment is very important for health that meets the health of physically, chemically, and microbiological content. Then there are stages of taking water from springs directly, having to be far from environmental pollution, waste, and others. Then you have to use hygienic equipment, through the filtration stage (filtration), cleaning up packaging or shelters such as jerry cans and with clean covers and maintaining sanitation, so as not to be contaminated with bacteria that are harmful to health.

Abdullah further advised the community that has a drinking water business to make business legality so that it is safe and the Health Office can control it at least once every six months.