HYDERABAD: The State Government would shortly launch a crackdown on packaged drinking water units in the State that were not adhering to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) norms and palming off sub-standard water as mineral water to people, Chief Secretary T.K. Dewan announced here on Friday.

He said a list of 40 mineral water manufacturers in the State, mostly located around Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam, which failed to follow norms mandated by the BIS, was submitted to the Government. "The BIS wants us to carry out a clean-up act immediately, " he said.

Mr. Dewan was speaking after inaugurating a workshop on `Water safety plan for urban areas' organised by the Hyderabad Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, India and United States Environment Protection Agency here.

Mr. Dewan informed that the Civil Supplies Department would inspect the packaged water units and initiate action against erring units.

Supply position good

On the drinking water supply position in the State, he said last year's good monsoon had ensured that water was aplenty. "We are extremely comfortable when compared to the dire straits we were in a couple of years back," he said, narrating the difficulties he faced as Relief Commissioner two years ago in tiding over one of the worst water crisis faced by the State.

Striking a similar note, HMWSSB Managing Director K.S. Jawahar Reddy said Hyderabad and its surrounding municipalities were comfortably placed with as much as 215 Million Gallons per Day being supplied. Efforts were on to introduce daily drinking water supply and the experiment was being tried out in two divisions and another two divisions would be added shortly.

WHO pilot study

The World Health Organisation (WHO) will initiate a pilot study to evaluate the supply of drinking water and factors like contamination and seepage, wastage and utilisation in two select areas of the city, according to Han Heijnen of WHO Nepal. "We will carry out the overview study of water supply from June to August and come out with a water safety plan to prevent contamination of water before it occurs. The plan can be replicated in other parts of the city," he said.

Water quality managers and engineers from water boards of different States and Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal besides health officials were attending the workshop.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail