New Delhi: Around 950 water pipelines in
Delhi have been identified as passing through drains this year
so far but Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has repaired only ten,
Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) alleged on Thursday.
This week alone, MCD claimed it had reported 56 such
pipelines to DJB but none of them has been repaired.
Disclosing these details, MCD Medical Relief and Public
Health Committee chairman V K Monga wrote to NHRC Chairperson
Justice K G Balakrishnan seeking his intervention in fixing
responsibility in supply of contaminated water supply "despite
repeated reminders by the civic body".
NHRC had earlier served a notice to Delhi government and
DJB following reports that many of the pipelines passed
through sewers and people were being supplied contaminated
water.
Till September 15 this year, according to Monga, MCD
reported to DJB that 942 pipe lines were passing through
drains and only ten have been shifted so far. Leakages of
various magnitudes have been reported in 95 other pipelines
and only 11 have been corrected till date.
"In water samples checked for chlorination of water,
around 10 per cent of water samples have been reported to be
without chlorination, which means these many people are
receiving potentially contaminated water," he said.
Out of the 1,219 tube wells supplying water in many parts
of Delhi, only 629 are functioning with chlorinators, 105 are
without functional chlorinator and most importantly 485 tube
wells do not have chlorinators at all.
"It again shows that a major population in the city is
receiving potentially hazardous water," Monga claimed.
"Half of Delhi lacks properly treated drinking water.
This is unthinkable in a capital city. There is an urgent need
to take corrective steps," Monga said in his letter.
Despite repeated reminders to the Chairperson and the CEO
of Delhi Jal Board, he alleged, there have been no efforts to
monitor and improve the quality of water in Delhi.
Requesting NHRC to fix "bureaucratic responsibility", he
said the Commission should direct DJB to take all remedial
actions to set right the problems.
In the letter, Monga said impurities in water arise due
to mixing of sewer water with drinking water at several places
where DJB pipelines are very old and corroded.
He said under-water quality surveillance carried out
by MCD in Delhi from January to March this year has brought
out the fact that 18-20 per cent of people were receiving
water which contains harmful bacteria beyond permissible
limits.
"That report was sent to the Chairperson of Delhi Jal
Board on March 25, 2011. However, there has been no response
so far," he said.
Monga said around 50-55 per cent of Delhi's population
get water supply after treatment at water treatment plants and
nearly 25-30 per cent take water from 1219 tube wells. The
rest of the population gets water supply from hand pumps, DJB
tankers or private tankers.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, September 22, 2011, 21:26