DJB, MCDs to jointly collect water samples this summer; independent agency to test them

Following a controversy over the quality of drinking water in the national capital last year, the Delhi Jal Board will collect water samples along with municipal corporations and these will be tested by a reputed agency like the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).

In November last year, the Centre and the city government traded allegations after Union Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan released a Bureau of India Standards (BIS) report which said water samples collected from 11 places in the city failed quality tests on 19 parameters.

The water utility in its Summer Action Plan released on Friday said, During the summer, joint sampling along with the Health Department of MCDs will be carried out to ensure supply of quality water as per the standards.

An outside reputed agency like NEERI will be associated for testing of water samples, it said.

For ensuring that the water being supplied is potable, wholesome and meets prescribed drinking water standards as per BIS, all the eight zonal laboratories (of the DJB) have been geared up for intensive checking of water samples at the customers' end, it said.

The utility said steps will be taken for "intensive as well as extensive" water quality surveillance.

The DJB said additional vehicles and staff will be deployed to enhance the collection of samples and water quality monitoring in its entire network during the summer.

Following the controversy over water quality in the city last year, the DJB collected over 42,000 water samples during a 10-day special drive and claimed that more than 98 percent of them were fit for drinking.

According to the World Health Organisation, one sample is collected per 10,000 people.