Indian Express 07.04.2010
Water quality as much a worry as quantity
sharvaripatwa Tags : water, mumbai Posted: Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 2337 hrs
Mumbai: In the expected dry summer ahead, the cause for concern is not just the quantity of water but its quality, too. The number of complaints of water contamination from January to March is 30 per cent higher than the number for the same period last year, according to BMC data.Between January and March this year, the BMC’s records show 1,236 complaints on contaminated supply. For the same period last year, the number was 941.
March of this year saw the highest number of complaints in the last two years, 480. The worst-hit areas, from where most complaints were received, included Kalbadevi, Byculla, Marine Lines and Dockyard Road. Simultaneously, the city has also seen a number of cases of jaundice, a disease that is often caused by contaminated water. “Normally contamination happens where work is being done on sewerage or drainage,” said Vinay Deshpande, chief of the hydraulic engineering department.
Pipes of small diameter are usually not welded but have joints; so if such work is going on in the vicinity, there is a chance of contamination, he added. There are also slight chances of water contamination where pipes have small leaks, he said.
There have been 33 pipeline bursts and 64 heavy leakages over the past three months, resulting in the wastage of over 240 million litres.
“In this area, citizens have complained about having got highly contaminated water,” said Rabia Shaikh, corporator from Byculla.
Bad water
337 complaints of contamination in January, up from 310 in Jan 2009
419 complaints in February, up from 291
480 complaints in March, up from 340
