SHUBHANGI SHIFA
Ranchi, Nov 9: With the increasing water scarcity in Ranchi, several water jar suppliers have popped up in different areas of the city. However, not all suppliers have all the required certificates and permits, nor do they check water quality on a regular basis.
As per the regulations of providing drinking water, an establishment needs to be FSSAI certified and have a certificate from BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) that provides the ISI mark. Along with this, these establishments need to have monthly tests of the water from approved laboratories and should pay GST to the government.
Along, the said establishment needs to have TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), radioactivity and raw water checked at regular time intervals.
Meanwhile, water suppliers in the city that provide 15-20 litre jars for a range of Rs 10 – Rs 30, when questioned about the time intervals over which they checked TDS had varying answers ranging from 55 – 70. Some in Kokar said that it had been three months since a checkup, while others claimed to have it checked every few days. Some have RO purifiers, while others have double filters. A few in Ratu have RO systems that check the TDS every time they are on, while others get it checked every couple of weeks. Similar answers were provided at set-ups in Chutiya, Harmu and Upper Bazar.
Several claimed to have water quality certificates, however, they could not provide copies of them to the Lagatar24 correspondent. When questioned regarding the hard water discharged from the RO purification system, almost all suppliers claimed to have made soak pits and water harvesting systems so that water is not wasted. Others also claimed that several purifiers also provide the ability to regulate the discharge of hard water, which further minimises the loss.
These suppliers claim to be providing water to people from all walks of life, be it college students living in hostels or flats, office goers, offices, families, and even shop owners.
On the other hand, officials at one water supplying unit with certification from almost all the required agencies said, “We have FSSAI and BIS certification and get the water quality tested on a monthly basis. Along with this, we get TDS checked every four hours and have chemists and microbiologists to do so.”
The officials further stated that they had RMC and Central Underground Water Authority licences to use the underground water. This is needed as water as an entity is owned by the government of the said area or state and permission must be taken to sell it.
Furthermore, they get pollution control checks. They also get radioactivity of the water checked every two years and also monitor the arsenic levels in the water. The officials stated that raw water checkups are also done at regular intervals.
After all of this, when questioned about the price of their 20-litre jars, the officials said, “We charge Rs 35 per jar.”
Concurrently, according to the Central Ground Water Board, BIS has specifications in Uniform Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Protocol. This standard has two limits i.e. acceptable limits and permissible limits in the absence of an alternate source. If any parameter exceeds the limit, the water is considered unfit for human consumption.
The BIS has specified drinking water quality standards in India to provide safe drinking water to the people. It is pertinent that drinking water sources be tested at regular intervals and ensure that water is meeting the prescribed standards or not, if not, then, the extent of contamination/ unacceptability and follows up required.
