Experts have sounded the warning bells over the poor quality of drinking water being supplied by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) in the national Capital.
Officials at Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) say that the drinking water is not treated as per the parameters set up by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). “Out of total 64 parameters of safe drinking water that have been mandated by the BIS, only 14 parameters are being applied in testing drinking water in Delhi by the DJB,” said a CGWB official. “This amounts to a serious breach with the public health and corrective measures should be initiated in this regard,” the official said.
According to the data, the average supply of drinking water in the city is 885 Million Gallons per day (MGD) including 35 MGD of ground water in Delhi. The rest 850 MGD is supplied in the form of surface water.
“American and European nations have a continuous online monitoring system of drinking water in place. But unfortunately, here in Delhi and even across the country, there is no such mechanism. This results in serious health issues as they are forced to drink unsafe water,” said Professor Jl Sharma of the Department of Chemistry, Delhi University.
Sharma who has also worked with the Centre for Science Environment (CSE) on water said that water is tested at three levels.
“The three levels used in testing water include biological, types and amount of impurity in portable water and third is electrical measurement. Delhi water has many impurities, the presence of lead, organic and inorganic impurities are having serious adverse effect on human health,” Sharma added.
As per the findings of hydro geologists in CGWB, the surface water is extremely variable in its chemical composition due to variations in relative contributions of ground water and other surface water sources.
“We have clearly mentioned it on our website that there are 64 parameters to test the purity of drinking water before it is supplied to people. We need to test the components of all these parameters as they have direct connection with the human health,” said a CGWB scientist who did not wish to be named.
Raising the concern over the health issues caused by excessive or less quantities of organic compounds in the drinking water, the scientist said it can cause neurological disorders and infertility in women.
“The problem is not just to make water pure but also to focus on the supply route of portable water in the city. The intermixing of sewage and drinking water and the supply chain is also responsible and the question of accountability is raised here. Civic agency should take the matter seriously,” stressed professor Sharma.
Sharma said bicarbonates and e.coli are important components which need to be studied further through testing the other remained parameters.
However, the officials of DJB did not respond despite repeated attempts made by The Pioneer to get their version.