[ad_1]
Drinking water often contains the fungicide chlorothalonil. Municipalities sometimes have to access less contaminated drinking water.
Drinking water is probably the best controlled food in Switzerland. The more it is reviewed, the more likely it is that the canton’s laboratories will find substances that do not belong to the precious liquid. A prominent example is the fungicide chlorothalonil. Agriculture used it for years against fungal attack.
The product has been banned since the beginning of the year because it is considered “probably carcinogenic”. But its footprints are lasting. As “Blick” writes, the limit of 0.1 micrograms per liter is exceeded in many places.
Water quality must be improved
When asked by SRF, Martin Sager, Director of the Swiss Gas and Water Association (SVGW), estimates that “about a million people in Switzerland” drink water that contains too much chlorothalonil residue. The cantons and public services are currently working on detailed statistics.
Many communities have begun to improve the quality by taking advantage of less contaminated drinking water. For example in the Oberglatt in Zurich with its 7000 inhabitants. The municipality has been adding quality water from Lake Zurich since the summer.
Churches need lower values
“This costs us between 200,000 and 250,000 Swiss francs a year. For us, that’s a lot of money, ”explains Reinhard Hofmann. But only if the condition persists longer, you have to think about increasing the rates.
Year and a half: this calendar is ambitious.
At Fräschels in Fräschels, Councilor Urs Schwarb would like to get water from neighboring communities. However, this is not a solution. “Their water is better than ours, but not perfect either.”
Swiss municipalities still have a year and a half to reduce their chlorothalonil levels to a maximum of 0.1 micrograms per liter. “A year and a half, this program is ambitious,” said Schwarb. “But it is a requirement and we try to meet it.”
Bad investment warning
SVGW Director Martin Sager cautions against hasty decisions that lead to costly bad investments. Give an example. “There is no point building a processing plant now without making sure or knowing if it will be able to remove other foreign substances in addition to chlorothalonil in the future.”
The main goal remains prevention. “We have to prevent contaminants and foreign substances from entering our drinking water.” It will be years before the ban on chlorothalonil comes into effect.
