The Hindu 13.10.2010
Packaged drinking water: no implementing authority
Ramesh Susarla
| BIS not vested with enforcement powers |
There is hardly any coordination between the BIS and Municipal Health officials
Influential people running packaged water plants are the culprits, say sources
VISAKHAPATNAM: Bureau of Indian Standards, which sets and monitors the manufacturing and packing standards of several goods in the country, receives maximum number of complaints with regard to bad quality of packaged drinking water.
Ironically, the BIS however, is not vested with enforcement and prosecution powers with regard to the quality of packaged water that does not proclaim it to be meeting the ISI standards or does not publicise it to be `Packaged Drinking Water'. Compulsory certification/licensing is essential for packaged drinking water and the BIS has jurisdiction over only those who obtain licence from them, but unfortunately a number of others mint money in this guise circumventing provisions taking advantage of loopholes, Visakhapatnam BIS Director P. Radhakrishna told The Hindu.
Prevention of Food Adulteration Act specifies the State Health Department to monitor the packaged drinking water through Municipal Health officials, but even in the `List of Indian Standards under Mandatory Certification Implementation Authority' name of the `Authority' has not been mentioned leaving a scope for improper enforcement.
There is hardly any coordination between the BIS and Municipal Health officials except for the GVMC referring a few (about 15 per cent of samples collected) cases to the BIS for initiating action.
“We do not have jurisdiction over any manufacturing unit outside municipal limits,” laments Food Inspector Appa Rao. Four of his colleagues collect 28 samples a month from hotels, bottled/packaged water for testing.
Visakhapatnam branch, one of the two BIS has in Andhra Pradesh has control over 196 licences obtained from it in six districts – Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East and West Godavari and Khammam.
About eight cases are under prosecution with regard to complaints against packaging units. The BIS collects two market samples every month from each licensee as surveillance.
The common grouse of the implementing agencies is that several politicians and influential people running RO plants or packaged water plants were the true culprits, who know how to use loopholes and the genuine licensees were the sufferers.
Congress Government's scheme to supply filtered water to 51,000 thandas at Rs.2 a litre was one of the sources of misuse.
