With a new investigation of Delhi tap water showing that it is not safe to drink, the Centre has announced plans to test the quality of piped drinking water in the states and release Swachh Pani rankings early next month. It is also trying to build a consensus to make quality standards for tap water a mandatory requirement.
A team from the Bureau of Indian Standards has been sent to state capitals to collect samples of tap water to see if they meet quality standards, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan told reporters on Thursday.
“We expect the report by the first week of November and will release Swachh Pani rankings to show which state is supplying safe drinking water at least in their capitals,” he said.
Meanwhile, Delhi has already failed that test. A BIS investigation of 11 tap water samples collected from various parts of the city – including the minister’s home at Janpath and his office in Krishi Bhavan, both in central Delhi – shows that the capital’s water does not comply with quality standards.
Preliminary lab testing found that all the samples failed to meet the 42 parameters (including odour, PH levels, total dissolved solids and metal content) that make up the BIS standard. This shows that Delhi’s tap water is not safe to drink, said Mr. Paswan, adding that the final lab results would be made public soon.
“After seeing the preliminary report for Delhi, we are holding consultations to see if we can mandate BIS’ piped water standards at least in the national capital, the state capital and 100 smart cities,” said the minister, adding that BIS would be writing to state governments seeking their views on the issue. “All governments must agree on this issue, as it is a matter of people’s lives.” He added that the Delhi government has indicated it is willing to make the BIS standard mandatory in the city.
Currently, it is mandatory for bottled water manufacturers to meet the BIS quality standard. However, the BIS standard for tap water is voluntary for the public agencies which supply and distribute piped water.
“The latest BIS standard was made in 2012, but it is not on par with international standards. I have asked BIS officials to see if we can match global quality,” said Mr. Paswan.
He was speaking after a meeting with representatives from BIS, the State-run Delhi Jal Board, which supplies and distributes most of the city’s water, the Centrally-controlled New Delhi Municipal Corporation, which distributes water in central Delhi, the Union Jal Shakti Ministry and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
