Madhumitha Viswanath By Express News Service CHENNAI: Chennai made headlines for the wrong reasons last week when the tap water report was released by the Central government. But what has raised eyebrows is that the details, which are necessary to substantiate the findings, have not been revealed by the Consumer Affairs ministry which spearheaded this study. The second phase of this study, which ranked 13 state capitals according to their tap water quality, was carried out by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). In Chennai, nine out of 10 water samples failed to meet the drinking water standards set by BIS. But when Express spoke to officials from BIS’s Southern Regional Office, even they were not informed about these details. During which month were the samples taken? Where were they taken from? Both, location and source of these samples, were not made public. Also, it has only been mentioned that the samples failed to meet nine parameters. But exact parameters which each sample failed, were also not mentioned. A few BIS officials in the regional office said that the whole project was carried out in a hushed and hurried manner in Chennai. “In Hyderabad, source of each water sample was mentioned. But in other southern cities like Trivandrum, Bangalore, Amaravathi and Chennai, this wasn’t revealed. We have asked officials from the New Delhi office for the full report,” said a BIS official from the regional office. Sources from Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) told Express that samples were collected from Mogappair, Aynavaram, Perambur, Kolathur, Guindy, Velachery, Adyar, Shollinganallur, T Nagar and Egmore. In the cases of Guindy, Velachery, T Nagar and Egmore - specific address from where the samples were collected, remains unknown. In other locations, samples were collected from Nakkirar Street in Mogappair, from New Avadi road in Aynavaram, near Bunder Garden in Perambur, near Kolathur pumping station, and from Metro Water pumping stations in Adyar and Shollinganallur. Distribution system cause for concern Chennai’s water distribution system, which supplies water intermittently through age-old pipes, is the main culprit behind water contamination, pointed out former officials and experts. As water doesn’t continuously flow through pipes, foreign matter can easily get lodged in the pipes, resulting in contamination, said a former Metro Water official. “If samples were taken right after supply was started in an area, water will be muddy. Also, if they had taken it right after the water crisis, when only 550 MLD is supplied, water quality will be poor. Though our water treatment system is an advanced one, our distribution system needs thorough repair,” he said. S Janakarajan, water management expert, said that every consumer had a right to know how the government comes to such a conclusion so that corrective measures can be taken. “First, the government must make the full report public. But the results aren’t shocking as our distribution system is the main contaminant. If a sample was taken from North Chennai, traces of Coliform bacteria will be very high due to heavy sewage contamination. In South Chennai, by the time water from desalination plant reaches houses, the TDS will be over 500. There is no point having a good treatment system if the distribution line is failing,” he added. Metro Water officials, on the other hand, said that they are coordinating with other government agencies and are preparing a detailed report in response to the water quality survey. “We don’t know where the samples were obtained from and during which time period. This is a sensitive issue. But our water treatment system is of top standards. We will soon revert with a detailed analysis,” said a senior official.

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