Most ice used in food stalls tainted: BMC

Mumbai: As a part of its summer drive against roadside stalls, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has found that 81 per cent of the ice samples collected are unfit for consumption. Due to the summer heat, people tend to have cold drinks at roadside stalls, especially outside stations, markets etc.

The stalls from which the civic body collected ice samples were selling lemonade, sugarcane juice and ice candies.

The special drive was carried out between April 1 and April 30 in which, 968 roadside stalls across the city were inspected and ice samples collected.

Out of 968 stalls, the ice samples from 786 stalls were found contaminated.

These samples also contained e-coli bacteria which comes from sewage water which causes severe gastric illnesses.

Of the ice samples collected from 968 stalls, 280 were lemon sherbet stalls, of which, 218 were found unfit; 303 were sugarcane juice stalls, of which, 268 were unfit; and 383 were from ice gola stalls, of which, 300 were unfit.

Deputy municipal commissioner (health) Sunil Dhamane said, “We carry out inspection on a regular basis. However, during summer, the usage of ice is more. The citizens should avoid roadside drinks which use ice. The BMC issues a health advisory and citizens should follow that to avoid illnesses in summer as well as the monsoon.”

Dr Manish Deliwala, a general physician, said, “It is obvious that people feel thirsty in this hot climate and tend to have cold drinks. If they wish to have cold drinks outside, only packaged drinks and juices should be consumed. Any drink from roadside open stalls does not have the guarantee of the water and ice used being bacteria-free. Also, people should carry water from home to stay hydrated”. “The bacteria filled ice can cause severe water-borne diseases including typhoid. While, it can also cause food poisoning, diarrhoea and other gastric