Mumbai’s tap water best among major cities, Delhi’s worst: BIS report

The samples were taken from 11 localities, including Paswan’s official residence at 12 Janpath and Krishi Bhawan in Lutyens’ Delhi, and areas such as Nandnagari, Sonia Vihar, Pitampura, Ashok Nagar and Burari.

Addressing the media, Paswan said, “All should get clean drinking water and that is the objective of this activity. The objective is not to demotivate anyone, rather to encourage state governments to ensure quality potable tap water to all citizens,” he said.

Paswan also said that the Union Government wants to make BIS standards mandatory for tap water so as to ensure quality drinking water for all. “Stringent action cannot be taken as the quality standards for piped water at present are not mandatory. Once it becomes (mandatory), we can take action,” the minister said.

Ram Vilas Paswan at a press conference in New Delhi. PTI

According to the report, all 10 samples drawn from Mumbai were found to comply with the standards. However, one or more samples did not comply with the requirements in six state capitals — Hyderabad, Bhubaneshwar, Ranchi, Raipur, Amaravati and Shimla.

The sample in Hyderabad failed in one parameter ‘phenolic compounds’ and Bhubaneswar in ‘Chloramines’, while Chandigarh in two parameters — ‘Aluminium and Coliform’.

Moreover, none of the samples drawn from 13 state capitals — Chandigarh, Thiruvananthapuram, Patna, Bhopal, Guwahati, Bengaluru, Gandhinagar, Lucknow, Jammu, Jaipur, Dehradun, Chennai, Kolkata — complied with the BIS standards.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, BIS decided to undertake a study of the quality of piped drinking water being supplied in the country in view of the objectives of the Prime Minister’s Jal Jeevan Mission.

“In the first phase, samples of drinking water were drawn from various locations across Delhi, and in the second phase, samples were drawn from 20 other state capitals, and sent for testing as per Indian Standard 10500:2012 (Specification for Drinking Water)”, it stated.

“In the third phase, samples from Capital cities of Northeastern states and Smart Cities identified by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs have been drawn and are under tests. The results of these are expected by January 15, 2020. In the fourth phase, it is proposed to test samples drawn from all the district headquarters of the country and their testing is planned to be completed by August 15, 2020,” the ministry stated.