The Hindu Business Line : Potable water quality in Delhi not up to standards: FICCI

HOW safe is the water you drink? If you were rattled by the news of bottled water containing pesticides think twice before you drink the potable water in Delhi.

According to a survey conducted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and its specialised body, the Food Research & Analysis Centre (FRAC), potable water in different parts of the country's capital, Delhi, is not up to the Indian standard specifications.

Out of 18 samples collected from key areas across the city, a majority were found to contain contaminants. Apart from pesticides, other contaminants found in the water included metal and chemical contaminants and disease-causing organisms resulting in illnesses such as typhoid, Hepatitis A, and gastroentitis.

If this were not enough, a UN Report on Water Quality ranks India 120 among a group of 122 countries. The recent Centre for Science & Environment (CSE) Report on bottled water has further rankled people's mind. "The very fact that 70 per cent to 80 per cent of all illnesses are related to water contamination, the issue becomes all the more critical for immediate Government attention," the chamber said.

In a letter to the Chief Minister of Delhi, Ms Shiela Dikshit, FICCI sought increased public-private partnership in the area of testing of water and improving the quality of water. "Drinking water protection is a shared responsibility, involving water suppliers, local and state governments, business and individuals. It is believed in general that owing to the capital-intensive nature of the industry and with long gestation periods, the private sector may not be interested and it may not be desirable to allow full private sector monopolies in this crucial sector," Dr Amit Mitra, Secretary General, FICCI said.

Brushing aside any misapprehensions regarding public-private partnership, the chamber said, "The apprehensions about the successful association of the private sector in market demand may be misplaced because a well managed private sector enterprise with an appropriate tariff structure would tend to marginalise low income group people. Thus there is ample scope for forging a public-private partnership for water supply."

Elaborating on the varied forms of public-private partnership, chamber officials said, "The partnership is possible in the areas of source development, retail distribution and pricing with public sector, micro-level treatment of recycled water at the household level."

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