BIS to collect 5 water samples from each ward in Delhi, submit report in 15 days: Paswan

Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said that instructions have been given to Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to collect five samples of water from each Ward in Delhi and submit the report within 15 days.

"We have instructed BIS to collect 5 samples from each Ward of Delhi and submit the test report within 15 days. The Delhi government is free to send DJB officials to collect the sample with the BIS team constituted for the purpose," tweeted Paswan.

"Public in Delhi is forced to drink dirty water. Secretary, Consumer Affairs has written to Secretary, Jal Shakti Department on November 21 to make the benchmark for the tap water mandatory. We cannot force the people to drink dirty water," he said in a subsequent tweet.

A tussle over the quality of water in the capital started on November 16 after Union consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan shared the findings of a study conducted by BIS, which suggested that Delhi's tap water was the worst among major cities of the country and is no more fit for drinking without purification.

Just a day after, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal rejected the findings of the report and challenged the Union Minister in a press meeting to share the addresses of the places from which BIS collected the samples.