Penza, 26 June 2012. PenzaNews. According to sanitary-chemical indicators, drinking water quality worsened in 1st quarter of 2012 compared to the same period of last year in Penza. This was reported in the press service of the regional consumer surveillance of Russia.

“The share of drinking water samples not meeting hygienic standards in sanitary-chemical indicators increased from 5,2% in 1st quarter 2011 to 9,3% in 2012,” clarified the press service.

The department noted that the excess of 1,5–2 times in iron due to water supply network deterioration was registered in Penza at the following addresses: Karakozov St, 35, Pobeda Blvd, 42, Perspectivnaya St, 9, Stasov St, 6, Moscovskaya St, 16, Volodarsky St, 9, Nasosnaya St, 3, Austrin St, 63A and 168A.

“At the same time, the share of drinking water samples not meeting hygienic standards in microbiological indicators, decreased from 2,4% in 1st quarter 2011 to 0,7% over the same period in 2012,” clarified the department of the Federal Drug Control Service of the Penza region.

The press service added that in the Penza region in general, water quality worsened compared to the last year, in both microbiological and sanitary-chemical indicators. According to microbiological indicators, water quality is below the regional average level in the following areas: Issinsky, Bashmakovsky, Zemetchinsky, Nizhnelomovsky, Gorodishchensky, Lopatinsky, Bessonovsky, Mokshansky districts and in Kuznetsk. According to sanitary-chemical indicators, the same situation is observed in Bessonovky, Issinsky, Kuznetsky, Penzensky, Shemysheysky districts and in Kuznetsk.

According to the experts from the Federal Drug Control Service of the Penza region, the main reasons for inadequate quality of drinking water in the region are the deterioration of water supply networks and facilities, poor maintenance of water supply systems in rural areas, lack of preventive measures to reduce the amount of some chemicals in drinking water, for example, iron in Kuznetsk, and fluorine in the Bessonovky district.

“Water supply network replacement is carried out slowly in Penza: 201,8 km out of 781,9 km of water supply network are subjected to the complete replacement, 329 km require major overhaul,” summarized in the Department.