BHOPAL: Lemon water, sugar cane juice, jal-jira and other soft drinks sold by road side vendors, may take a toll on your health. People who consume these drinks to get relief from intense heat must be aware that such drinks may cause various diseases jaundice, gastroenteritis, diarrhea and other problems, warn experts. According to an expert on health issues road side vendors, who sell such drinks, hardly bother about hygiene. They even add acid to the water to make it spicier to enable people to achieve that taste they long for, he added. Road side vendors can be spotted at every nook and corners in the city in summer.
Every year the health department issues advisory in summers telling people not to use such drinks as it causes various diseases like jaundice, gastroenteritis, diarrhea and other problems. According to a health official the acid mixed with the water increases the taste without any additional cost incurred. Acid changes the colour of the water, containing tamarind paste, from red to blue so they mix the acid in the green coloured water containing peppermint and alum. The acid mixed makes the colour of the water darker and thicker in concentration. It leads to throat burns, and food poisoning after consuming food that contains acid.
Ice factories operating without license
Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Inspector DK Verma said, “From time to time, we take action against such vendors. It is true that no factory has license for manufacturing edible ice in the state capital. Only commercial ice is manufactured. But two factories out of the four that are operational have a court stay so they are continuing with their business even without though they do not have a license. Commercial ice is blue in colour while edible ice is white.”
CMHO Dr NU Khan said, “Road side vendors use contaminated water and ice. We appeal the people not to consume such drinks in summer as they are harmful. Such materials are responsible for Jaundice, gastroenteritis and other stomach related problems. We are releasing advisory for the people discouraging the consumption of such material. I have also instructed the instructors to have close vigil on such material and vendors.”