Resident welfare associations (RWAs) across Delhi said the findings in HT’s report highlight the need for a citywide water quality audit.
Delhi government on Monday initiated a water quality sampling exercise across locations where contamination was detected in a recent independent testing exercise conducted by HT.
Of the 18 water samples collected by HT from across the city, eight – or around 44% – were found to contain either total coliform bacteria or E. coli, indicators of possible contamination. The exercise highlighted the need for constant and extensive monitoring of water supply, particularly in light of the ageing condition of the pipeline network.
Water minister Parvesh Verma has directed the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to ramp up testing and take corrective measures in areas flagged in the report, said officials from Verma’s office.
DJB chief executive officer Kaushal Raj Sharma said on Monday that a re-sampling exercise will be carried out on Tuesday morning and rectification measures will be undertaken wherever contamination is detected. “DJB teams have been instructed to immediately take samples from all affected areas and identify the source of contamination. Corrective action will follow wherever issues are found,” he said.
“We are committed to helping residents facing contamination issues and all such cases should be brought to our notice. Contamination sources will be identified and corrective measures undertaken,” Sharma said.
Officials said the board is implementing a long-term plan to tackle contamination complaints across the city, including replacing ageing pipelines and cleaning trunk sewer lines. Delhi’s water supply network spans over 15,400km, carrying treated water from nine water treatment plants to homes across the Capital. However, more than 5,200km of these pipelines are over 30 years old, while another 2,700km are between 20 and 30 years old. Under a ₹10,000-crore plan, DJB aims to bring contamination complaints down to zero over the next four years.
According to officials, the contamination issue is being addressed through a three-pronged strategy. First, the board has begun replacing old water supply lines in 10 assembly constituencies that fall under the Chandrawal water treatment plant command area. “We have set a target to initiate replacement work in all assemblies by the end of this year,” a DJB official said.
The second major reason, officials said, is heavy silting in trunk sewer lines that can lead to backflow during supply hours. “We have divided 100km of trunk sewer lines into packages and all of them will be desilted before the monsoon,” the official said. “In Rajouri Garden, the backflow from sewer lines may be the reason behind contamination.” Third, officials said the board receives between 60 and 70 complaints daily and is working to reduce the response time to address them.
The CM’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
For many residents living in the affected localities, the findings only confirmed a problem they say they have faced for months – and in some cases even years.
“Many people have fallen sick in the past few weeks. Diarrhoea, typhoid, hepatitis… multiple people are suffering from these currently,” said 66-year-old Lalit Goyal, a resident of East Vinod Nagar, where the water sample showed a total coliform level of 6 colony-forming units (cfu). “My children live here and I am worried they will fall sick,” he said.
The water sample collected from J-Block in Rajouri Garden showed the highest contamination levels in the exercise, with a coliform value of 920 cfu per 100ml and E. coli at 270.
Hemant Monga, 62, a resident and RWA member in the area, said locals have been complaining to authorities for months.“It has been almost 10 months now that we have been facing this issue, but DJB officials have been saying they are still searching for the fault,” Monga said. “It is clear that sewage is mixing into the water and the pipeline needs to be replaced,” he said.
He also alleged that people identifying as DJB officials visited the area on Monday and told residents they should not have shared samples with the media. “DJB officials said that there was no need to inform the media and they would start the work soon. We had filed multiple complaints with DJB earlier but no action was taken,” he said.
When asked, DJB officials said directions have been issued that residents must not be harassed.
At Mayur Vihar Phase-III’s DDA D-2 flats, where tests showed total coliform levels of 620 cfu and E. coli at 200, residents said the problem has still not been resolved. “We are still getting dirty water. Soon after the story, DJB officials reached out and said they wanted to test water samples . We welcome that because we want a permanent solution,” said Vijay Singh Rawat, general secretary of the local RWA.
In Vikaspuri’s Budhela village, 55-year-old Surender Kumar linked his liver problems and his father’s death to contaminated water. Residents suspect a damaged sewer pipeline near ongoing construction.
Dwarka Sector-16B resident Sandip Singh said his family relies on bottled water due to young children. Dayanand Piwal, 71, of Devli village noted that while most households use RO systems, not everyone can afford purifiers.