The Mauritius Yellow Pages News - Report Says Water For Domestic Use In Port Louis Unsafe

Water used for domestic purposes in Port Louis is contaminated and may cause cancer, the University of Mauritius said in a report quoted in a weekly paper Sunday. In the report released in Port Louis on Friday, researcher Roshan Ramessur said about half of the population of the city use water from the contaminated Grand River North West or GRNW, which flows nearby. "The water is contaminated with zinc, chromium and lead and may cause cancer", Ramessur said. He said the pollution was caused by the wastewater discharges, which the GRNW receives from domestic and industrial sources including battery and soap manufacturers and chemical industries located in the area. But the Central Water Authority Friday night refuted the report in a statement, saying that water from the GRNW was not polluted with wastewater. "Wastewater from the region is discharged through the sewer network and this can be checked from the Waste Water Authority", the authority said in a statement. Meanwhile, Environment minister Rajesh Bhagwan also denied the report, but confirmed complaints about floating substances in the river.