According to an official release issued yesterday,  the seizure comprised 32,800 sachets of water, 12,500 packets of juices and 6,700 sachets of buttermilk.

Following complaints that sale of contaminated water sachets was on the rise, the health staff, led by assistant health officers in the zones, conducted the search operation in markets, in bus terminals and near schools.

Sanitary workers and food inspectors lifted samples from Flower Bazaar, Koyambedu, T Nagar, Ayanavaram, Tondiarpet, Adyar, Vadapalani, Valluvar Kottam, Triplicane, Purasawalkam and Anna Nagar and found the water unfit for consumption.

The samples were later sent to the Public Analyst Laboratory for testing. Based on the report, the offenders will be prosecuted in the court of law, the release further said.

The Health Department has asked the public to look for details such as address of the manufacturer, date of manufacture and expiry date before purchasing products in sachets. The sachets were later destroyed by field workers in each of the 10 zones.