According to the center, according to the reports of doctors regarding pregnant women and babies whose food is water from pit wells, following conducting tests in pit wells, data was obtained that 27 percent did not meet the quality requirements. wells.
The worst indicators were recorded in Kaunas county, where 34% did not meet the water quality requirements. of wells, in Šiauliai County such samples made up 34 percent, in Panevėžys County – 29 percent, Alytus – 28 percent, the least – in Klaipėda County, where 17 percent did not meet the established norms. wells, in Telšiai county -19 percent.
According to the NVSC, in order to avoid pollution, it is important that the well is located higher than the objects of possible pollution according to the direction of groundwater flow.
“Water enters underground wells from an unprotected groundwater layer, which can be contaminated due to inappropriate agricultural activities, nearby sources of soil pollution – landfills, farms and other pollution objects. Water contamination with nitrates and nitrites can also be caused by improper installation and maintenance of the shaft well,” the report states.
The center notes that when pregnant women consume water contaminated with nitrites and nitrates, due to a constant lack of oxygen in the blood, babies are born with a lower weight and are weaker, and their physical and mental development slows down.
