Glass full of bacteria?

MCD report says 18 per cent of water supplied by Delhi Jal Board is contaminated

Next time you pick up a glass of water to drink, ask yourself: is it safe? It might have been supplied by Delhi Jal Board, but its purity can still be questioned.

For according to a report prepared by the Public Health Committee of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), 18 per cent of the water supplied by Delhi Jal Board (DJB) is contaminated and full of poisonous bacteria.

The committee had collected 616 samples of water supplied by DJB from 11 areas and had sent them to government laboratory for tests. The results showed that out of 616 samples, 111 were polluted up to the limit of being poisonous. "The quantum of poisonous bacteria up to 10 in 100 millilitres is allowable.

But if there are more than 10 bacteria in 100 millilitres, then the water is contaminated and can cause typhoid, cholera, gastroenteritis and jaundice.

We were shocked to find that the water samples were contaminated to a very high level," said Dr V K Monga, Chairman, Medical Relief and Public Health Committee, MCD. "The problem is because the pipelines are overcrowded and even broken at places due to which the water gets mixed with sewage," he added.

The areas whose samples were found contaminated included Karol Bagh, Shahdara North Zone, Rohini and Civil Lines Zone.