Every second person drinking contaminated water: Survey

NEW DELHI, 20 MAY: Every second person around the city corner is
drinking contaminated water, reveals a survey by the three civic bodies.

 In a survey of water samples, the civic bodies tested 569 samples
out of which 79 were found unfit for drinking. Thus 14 per cent samples
failed the test which translates into 1.4 of every 100 individual is
being supplied contaminated water in Delhi.

According to the test
report, the worst hit areas in terms of contaminated water supply are
Civil Line and Paharganj zones of North Delhi Corporation where all the
water samples failed the test. The officers of the civic bodies had
picked up eight water samples from Paharganj and 21 water samples from
Civil Lines area but all the water samples were found unfit for
drinking. The situation in Najafgarh area was slightly better where 28
per cent samples failed the test followed by 26 per cent in Narela. The
report is based on the water samples tested by the three civic bodies in
the week ending 18 May.

In the survey, the water samples of city
zone, west zone, East Delhi and South Delhi were found quite
satisfactory. So far in this summer, the three civic bodies have tested
9,453 water samples of which 595 were found unfit for drinking. Among
the unit water samples 536 were from North Corporation areas, 50 from
South Corporation and nine from East Corporation area.

But the water
samples jointly picked up by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and civic bodies
present rosy picture of its quality. In the same week ending 18 May, the
joint team tested 569 water samples in Delhi of which only seven were
found contaminated. Out of these seven failed samples two were from
North Corporation and five were from East Corporation area. “The
officers of DJB pick up samples from posh areas which have better upkeep
system so there results are better. But these results are far from
ground reality,” said Mahinder Nagpal, leader of House in North DMC.