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Tap water in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai unfit for drinking: Study

New Delhi: A recent study by the Union Consumer Affairs Ministry has revealed that tap water in major Indian cities such as Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata are unfit for drinking purposes. The study was conducted by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) which falls under the umbrella of the Consumer Affairs Ministry.

Meanwhile, tap water in the country's economic capital has been deemed fit for drinking. All 10 samples of piped water drawn from Mumbai complied with all of the 11 parameters, said Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan. He added while releasing the second phase of the study that samples drawn from 17 other out of 20 other state capitals failed to adhere to specification 'Indian Standard (IS)-10500:2012' for drinking water.

"Compliance of quality standards for piped water should be made mandatory across the country", said Paswan. He said that once it is done, it will be easier for central authorities to take strict actions to ensure that tap water is safe for drinking purposes in all of India. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has also written to state governments in this regard, the minister told media outlets.

In the case of Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata, water samples taken from these cities failed almost 10 out of the 11 quality parameters prescribed by BIS. In the first phase of this study, BIS officials discovered that all of the 11 samples drawn from the national capital did not comply with the quality norm and the piped water was not safe for drinking purposes. Similarly, one or more samples taken from Hyderabad, Bhubaneshwar, Ranchi, Raipur, Shimla and Amravati did not meet the requirements of 'Indian Standard-10500:2012'.

Laying out the methodology used to undertake the study, Paswan said that testing was conducted to check Organoleptic and physical parameters apart from ascertaining the presence and concentration of chemical and toxic substances and bacteriological quality. The samples were also tested on the basis of virological and biological parameters.

BIS Director-General Pramod Kumar Tiwari said that samples from capital cities of northeastern states and from 100 smart cities will be drawn and tests as part of the third phase of this study. In the fourth phase, test samples from all the district headquarters will be examined. The results of these phases are expected by August 15, 2020. During his Independence Day address this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared his plan to provide tap water to each household in the country.

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