Tapping quality

The poor in India often fall sick by drinking contaminated water; many even die. The middle classes are over-cautious, even paranoid, installing sophisticated water purifiers, while water continues to be non-potable. The FSSAI (Food Safety and Standard Authority of India) is exploring the possibility of making municipal corporations and state water supply boards accountable for the quality of water. About time. At least 32 per cent of households which have access to treated tap water can be assured of safe drinkable water. 

The CCPC (Central Consumer Protection Council) supports the FSSAI’s move on monitoring the quality of water; one hopes a well-intended move doesn’t end up in jurisdictional tussles. Regulations for packaged water are in place; the FSSAI is the licence-giving body; the certification comes from the Bureau of Indian Standards. Despite this, several cases of violation of standards have come before the Green Tribunal. Though standard procedures are prescribed for water supply under different Jal Nigams, contamination persists in the absence of monitoring. Even in the capital city, water is found to be non-potable. There are reports of water getting mixed with sewage at several points. About 21 per cent of the communicable diseases are related to unsafe water; diarrhoea alone causes 1,600 deaths daily. 

The source of water — rivers — is blamed for causing contamination in potable water. For the first time, the CCPC is advising the government to standardise the quality of water supplied through pipelines, irrespective of its source. This should make several agencies accountable, including those involved in storage, treatment and supply. Lack of accountability of Jal Nigams has promoted a 25 per cent annual growth of packaged water; bottled water alone does business worth Rs 3,000 crore and the sale of water purifiers exceeds Rs 7,000 crore a year. By 2012, about 15 million units of water purifiers were sold in India. The FSSAI Act is undergoing amendments; standardising and monitoring water quality should be its priority, regulated prasad can wait.