UNI
 
Mumbai, Aug 20: Brihanmumbai municipal commissioner Johny Joseph has said the water in the Mahim Creek is not potable and cautioned the public against drinking it.
  
The municipal commissioner's caution comes since a large number of Mumbaikars are thronging the place to taste the waters amid rumours that it has turned sweet.

Addressing newspersons in Mumbai on Saturday evening, Joseph said the municipal corporation had collected samples of water from the Mahim Creek and Shivaji Park for chemical analysis.

The analysis has been completed and according to the findings, the water is not potable as it contains 880 solid and 600 chloride particles per one lakh million litres of water as against the normal standard of 40 total solids and 12 chloride content.

Joseph said the corporation had requested the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) director to undertake a study of the reported phenomenon. Following the request, the NIO deputed Dr M D Zingde, the scientist in-charge of NIO regional centre at Lokhandwala, to study the same and he would submit his report within four days.

Rumours that water in the Mahim Creek had turned sweet had spread like wild fire and people thronged the site throughout the night on Friday to taste the water. People were seen filling up bottles to take home.

Staunch believers felt it was a miracle brought upon by a Sufi saint in whose memory a masjid has been built near the creek. The believers even carried the water to ailing kith and kin in the belief that the water had curative powers.