MCD blames Delhi Govt. over water contamination (The Hindu 03 August 2011)

Civic body has been updating the CM on the issue'
In the wake of the National Human Rights Commission's action in asking Delhi Jal Board chairman and Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to explain the measures being taken to supply potable drinking water in the city in the wake of the water contamination controversy, the BJP-led Municipal Corporation of Delhi also hit out at the State Government on Tuesday.
MCD Leader of House Subhash Arya said: “The MCD is already concerned about the ill-effects of dirty water on the health of Delhiites and now the NHRC has also expressed its concern over the fact. The Commission has stated clearly that it is the right of the citizens to get clean drinking water and it is the responsibility of the Government to provide clean drinking water to them. The Delhi Government has completely failed in fulfilling its responsibility.”
The MCD on Tuesday said its health department on its own and jointly with the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has been taking samples of water and apprising the DJB about the findings.
Mr. Arya said: “Dr. V.K. Monga, chairman of MCD Medical Relief and Public Health Committee, has been time and again updating the Delhi Chief Minister on the outcome of these samples. However, he has not yet got a reply. On the ground level, it is amply clear that no concrete action has been taken as the report shows.”
He also stated that of the 4,816 water samples taken by the MCD in the joint survey in the current year, dirty water was found in 315 samples. “There is a signature of DJB officials on the joint survey. In this regard, the statement by the DJB that it is not aware about supply of dirty water is nothing but shirking from its responsibility. The MCD also provides information to the department concerned when the sample of drinking water is found to be dirty,” he added.
Mr. Arya said: “We had also informed the DJB about 642 pipelines that run cutting nullahs. Of them, only seven pipelines have been repaired. Besides this, the DJB was also provided with the list of 23 cases of water leakages. However, only seven of them have been repaired and nothing concrete done on the remaining 16 pipelines so far. The MCD is tasked with maintenance of storm water drains of up to four feet. Whenever samples of drinking water are taken and the levels of dirty water found, it is only of the sewer mixed water.”
He went on to state that people residing in unauthorised and unauthorised regularised resettlement colonies have put their sewer lines in storm water drains, which is an illegal activity. “All this is the responsibility of the Chief Minister and she must rectify this without any delay,” he added.
NHRC notice to Jal Board chief
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice, returnable in four weeks, to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) Chairman seeking a report on the news items that stated contaminated water was being supplied in many areas in the city due to cracks in the pipeline.
The Commission wanted the Chairman to explain what measures were being taken by DJB to provide potable water to the Delhi ites.
The NHRC took the issue suo motu based on the media reports. The reports claimed that according to a survey conducted by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and DJB in 200 areas at least 67 major water pipelines had micro cracks and were being contaminated by sewage as the lines crossed each other. The pipelines were quite old and some of them as old as 100 years, like those in Chandni Chowk and have rusted, leading to major leakages. Many residential colonies in Delhi had been getting contaminated water and the danger posed by this contaminated water were manifold as it might cause a variety of aliments including viral infection, hepatitis E, typhoid, cholera and jaundice.
The Commission expressed its concern on the “contaminated water issue” and observed that the contents of the report, if true, amounted to serious violation of right to health of the people of Delhi.