Audit report of drinking water supply system was given to Madhya Pradesh government in 2018
JNN, Bhopal. The death of 18 people and illness of more than 3200 due to contaminated drinking water in Indore could have been prevented if the state government and the municipal corporation had taken cognizance of the warning of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) seven years ago.
Actually, CAG had audited the drinking water supply system in Bhopal and Indore Municipal Corporation between April 2013 and March 2018. On the basis of this, CAG had said in the report released for the year ending March 31, 2018 that at least eight lakh people in Bhopal and Indore could fall ill due to contaminated water.
CAG had cautioned that the Municipal Corporation does not have a permanent mechanism to monitor the drinking water supply system. The reason was that in the report received by the CAG from the Health Directorate, it was found that four patients of cholera (cholera) were found in Bhopal and seven in Indore. However, no one died. Regarding diseases, the condition of Bhopal was worse then.
In the five years of the audit period, 4 lakh, 39 thousand cases of diarrhea were reported in Bhopal and 40 thousand, 447 cases were reported in Indore. 39 thousand, 481 patients of typhoid were found in Bhopal and 1462 in Indore. Now cholera has been confirmed again in Indore due to contaminated drinking water.
This incident has proved that it has been seven years since the report came, but no monitoring system has been made, which could provide information about leakage or meeting of drinking water and sewage lines.
Arrangements like patrolling were also not made. For years, this work has been the responsibility of the employees who open the valves of the pipeline. In such a situation, even after deaths due to contaminated drinking water in Indore, the danger is not over yet.
Fear of illness was also expressed
CAG had got 54 samples of drinking water tested in Indore and Bhopal, out of which fecal coliform bacteria were found in 10. Estimating the number of people drinking water in the areas where bacteria were found in the samples, the CAG had said in its report that 5 lakh 33 thousand people in Indore and 3 lakh 62 thousand people in Bhopal could fall ill due to drinking contaminated water.
The report also said that there is a lack of monitoring of filter plants at the operation and distribution level. The report said that between 2013 and 2018, 4,481 samples of drinking water were found to be of 'poor' quality (below BIS 10500 standards).