Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody dismissed MP D.V. Chanaka’s claims about unsafe water treatment chemicals, calling them misleading.
MP Chanaka yesterday alleged in Parliament that recent imports of hydrated lime for water treatment contained carcinogenic levels of chromium. He claimed that in the past two weeks, 27 containers carrying 550 metric tonnes of hydrated lime arrived with unsafe chromium levels.
Responding to the claims, Deputy Minister Jayakody today said the consignment in question was tested at nine labs after an initial test showed chromium levels exceeding the permitted limit.
The first test detected 11.3 mg of chromium per kilogram, surpassing the previous limit of 10 mg/kg.
However, Jayakody noted that in 2024, the Sri Lanka Standards Institute raised the permissible chromium level in hydrated lime from 10 mg/kg to 12 mg/kg.
As a result, the Water Board did not issue a letter of acceptance for the consignment, and the lime was not used at any treatment plant, contrary to MP Chanaka’s claims.
He added that the detected chromium levels were still significantly lower than limits set by countries such as the United Kingdom and Singapore. (Islandnews)
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