AAP rejects Modi govt report that said Delhi’s tap water is the worst in the country

AAP has called for an independent agency to conduct the tests, hinting that the survey, conducted by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), was biased and selective.

Representational image | Pixabay

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party-led dispensation in Delhi has rejected a Modi government report, which concluded that the tap water in the national capital was the worst in cities across the country. 

AAP national spokesperson Ajoy Kumar hinted to ThePrint Sunday that the survey, conducted by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), was biased and selective. He also termed it unfair.

“We must get them to test water in all parts of India and in front of the public. It should also be conducted by an independent agency,” Kumar said, adding that “they will find Delhi has among the cleanest water”. 

Kumar was responding to test results put out by Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan, Saturday. The BIS falls under his ministry. 

Paswan said the BIS had conducted quality tests on water supply in 20 state capitals and Delhi and found that the quality of tap water in the national capital was the worst. 

“Mumbai tops ranking released by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for quality of tap water. Delhi is at the bottom, with 11 out of 11 samples failing on 19 parameters,” Paswan said at a press conference here Saturday. “The tap water from Delhi did not meet Indian Standards. Later, we asked for water samples from all state headquarters.” 

DJB declines to comment, BIS says will expand survey 

The Delhi Jal Board, which manages water supply in the national capital, has refused to comment on the issue.  

Despite reaching out several times over calls, messages and email, Delhi Jal Board vice-chairman Dinesh Mohaniya did not respond to the ThePrint’s queries. 

A member of the DJB, on the condition of anonymity, said, “We need to have the details of the technical report for us to comment. We haven’t been presented with those.”

Calls to other members of the board went unanswered.  However, the Times Of India Sunday reported that Mohaniya had challenged the findings of the report claiming that the agency must conduct the survey in a neutral manner.

The BIS, on the other hand, is planning to widen the scope of the survey. 

The director general of  BIS, Pramod Tiwari, told ThePrint, “The ministry also plans to test tap water supply samples of capitals of northeastern states and smart cities by 15 January, 2020. All district headquarters are expected to be tested by 15 August 2020.”