New Delhi, July 7 (IANS) The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Wednesday accused the city government-controlled Delhi Jal Board (DJB) of supplying dirty potable water to residents.
The issue was taken up in a meeting of MCD’s standing committee, the civic agency’s highest decision making body.
The MCD is ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the DJB is controlled by the Congress-led Delhi government.
‘The residents of the capital are suffering from water crisis and are being forced to drink dirty water. They are affected by various water borne disease. The DJB should take steps to tackle the issue,’ said Standing Committee Chairman Yogender Chandolia.
‘If immediate steps are not taken by the executive member of the DJB, judicial action should be taken against them,’ Chandolia said.
Over 34,041 water samples were collected from various places last year out of which 2,345 samples were been declared unfit for drinking. This year till July 1, nearly 15,647 samples were collected and 1,768 samples were declared unfit for drinking.
‘Even after getting a detailed report on dirty water supply, the DJB is yet to take any action against the concerned officials. Drinking dirty water causes water-borne disease and the problem becomes worse during the monsoon,’ he alleged.
According to the MCD, in 2008 the number of cholera cases was 932. In 2009, the number was 1066 and in 2010 (till July) it is 159.
The number of gastroenteritis cases in 2008 was 53,608 and in 2009 it was 53,959. There were 312 cases of jaundice in 2008 and 359 in 2009.
Apart from the discussion on the water crisis, Municipal Commissioner K.S. Mehra informed committee that an additional Rs.12 crore has been sanctioned for the streetlight project taken up for the Commonwealth Games.
With the additional money, the streetlight network in the city will be extended from 155 km to 192 km, he said.
