Governance
Water Quality Report
- 18 Nov 2019
- 2 min read
Why in News
Recently, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution has released Water Quality Report for State capitals & Delhi as analysed by the Bureau of India Standards (BIS).
- The study focused on the quality of piped drinking water and also ranked the States, smart cities and districts accordingly.
- This study was in line with Jal Jeevan Mission which aims to provide tap water to all households by 2024.
Key Points
- Tests were conducted on various parameters:
- Organoleptic and Physical Tests
- Chemical test
- Toxic substances
- Bacteriological tests
- Total Dissolve Solids (TDS)
- Turbidity
- Total hardness
- Total alkalinity
- Minerals and metals
- Presence of Coliform and E Coli
- A vast majority of the samples have failed to comply with the requirements in one or more parameters.
- Tap water in Mumbai is the safest for drinking while Delhi’s water is one of the worst.
Challenges
- Lack of initiatives in tap water systems due to the expanding packaged drinking water.
- High dependence on groundwater in fast-growing urban clusters where piped water systems do not exist.
- Lack of accountability of the official agencies.
- Absence of robust data in the public domain on quality testing.
Way Forward
- It should be legally binding on agencies to achieve standards and empowering consumers.
- State governments should take an integrated view of housing, water supply, sanitation and waste management.
- A scientific approach for water management should be adopted.
- A separate agency in each state should be entrusted for regular testing rather than relying on the same agency.
- Data on water should be made public on the same lines as air quality which would put pressure on governments to act.
