Ice used to cool roadside sugarcane juice is harmful

Team Udayavani, Jan 24, 2019, 11:24 AM IST

Kasaragod: It has been found out that the ice used to cool sugarcane juice being sold in push carts has traces of poisonous substances. In a time where food and snacks are becoming poisonous, now even the cool sugarcane juice being sold on the roadsides is turning out to be poisonous. Apparently, the fact is that the ice used to cool down cold drinks and the ice used to cool down the sugarcane juice being sold in push carts along the highways is using ice which has poisonous elements in it.

The health department of Kanhangad district municipality conducted a inspection and confirmed that the ice used to cool down the sugarcane juice is not healthy. Accordingly, all the illegal sugarcane juice stalls within the jurisdiction of the municipality are being searched for and thus the use of ice has been restrained. Directions have been given to not to use ice in the juice.

Water pH at only 4

The water good for the health has a pH of 7. But the water used on the roadside and in the sugarcane juice has the pH of only 4, informed health officials.

Directed to stop usage

Water with lower amounts of pH is bad for the health and hence all the sugarcane juice selling stalls within the limits of Kanhangad municipality have been directed to not to make use of ice with lower amounts of pH. Even then, the use of ice in sugarcane juice persists.

The labourers selling the juice have a daily income of Rs 400. Ice is provided from the freezing unit of a scrap shop to sugarcane juice stalls and push carts. The ice used in push carts not only melts slowly, it also comes for a couple of days. It is learnt that the main reason for this is the dangerous and unhealthy substances used in the ice.

The health department has informed that the same type of ice is used in the preparation of Avil Milk which is being sold at juice centres near the roads.

The generators used by the push carts daily, is causing air and noise pollution. Action needs to be taken against the several push carts dominating the districts various municipality and panchayat limits.

The public health division along with the local administration should initiate proper action and put a break to the several illegal juice selling centres which are bad for both, the health and environment.

Ice procured through contractors

There are several juice selling push carts in Mavungal area near Kanhangad who buy the low pH ice which is unhealthy and available for a far lower price. People from north India are employed as labourers at the push carts to give the sugarcane juice and the harmful ice is procured through contractors.

Continuous use beside the national highway

There is a persistent use of the harmful ice with lower pH at the sugarcane juice selling centres and push carts beside the national highway as well as at the market areas of Kasaragod, Kumble and Manjeshwar, inform health officials.