CONSUMER RIGHTS

Pushpa Girimaji

Consumers are often victims of poor quality water supplied by the civic authorities. Besides water-borne diseases in many districts of the country, consumers suffer the debilitating effects of high levels of toxic heavy metals and even pesticides and other chemicals in water. Now two recent orders of the apex body have opened the doors of the court to petitions from citizens on the poor quality of water. Both the orders give directions to the municipal bodies to ensure the safety of water supplied to the citizens.

Seminar focusses on technologies for processing drinking water

CHENNAI: At a seminar conducted on packaged drinking water here on Saturday, officials from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) underscored the need for adhering to good manufacturing practices.

The seminar, primarily meant for manufacturers, focussed on methods to deal with microbial contamination of water and technologies available for processing drinking water.

Why do the poor pay the highest price for water and the rich, who have piped connection, get the inexpensive water in our cities? Why is there an outbreak of water borne disease frequently due to polluted water?

What is lacking: There is lack of investment to price water price correctly or repair the system.

By Prabuddh Banerjee

Despite tall claims by producers of water purifiers, most of them fail to ensure safe drinking water for the household.

Our drinking water is supposed to deliver essential nutrients and minerals needed for healthy life. It should help maintain acidic levels in our body and natural streams must provide antioxidants. Finally, it should be free of all contaminants. But more often than not, water supplied to us has exactly the opposite characteristics.

Yogesh Kabirdoss |
Chennai
UNTIL six months ago, Muthamma, an elderly woman, used to cook food using clean water from a well in her house.
No longer. She now approaches her neighbours for clean water as her well has been contaminated with sewage.

Muthamma is the only one in the locality who has a well.

The rest source their water from hand pumps. Fortunately, sewage has not contaminated their water source so far.

It uses most efficient technology with low power

Provisions for use in areas without electrification

Product display: Features of a product being explained by a company executive at a stall in the exhibition in Chennai on Sunday.

CHENNAI: Under the Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission, the Union Ministry of Rural Development is planning to install 30,000 standalone drinking water purification systems in 30,000 rural schools across the country at a cost of Rs.200 crore this fiscal.

HOWRAGHAT, July 17: The Public Health Engineering Department (PHE), Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) in active support of Sum Ronghang, former KAAC CEM and present EM of PHE Department is launching a belligerent drive with the aim to supply potable water for the people of the district.

Mumbai, July 10 BMC says nothing to panic, drinking water safe, but decomposing fish worries locals Thousands of dead fish were found floating on the Bhatsa river, which supplies water to Mumbai, early on Thursday morning, spreading panic in a Thane village, and nearby areas. While some attributed the large number deaths to pollution and use of chemicals in the fields, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said there is no reason to panic and the drinking water is safe for consumption.

Pune, July 2 PMC considering city company's membrane filtration plan to provide 50 lakh litres a day A project to procure potable water from Pashan lake is under active consideration of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). Membrane Filters (India) Pvt Ltd, a Pune-based company working in the field of filtration systems, has approached the PMC with an offer to make the lake water potable by installing a membrane filtration system.

Hyderabad, July 2: Flat owners of the city will now have to pay Rs 125 per month as water and sewerage cess. The Hyderabad Metropolitan water Supply and Sewerage Board has decided to levy the cess from this month after a division bench of the High Court suspended the annulment of the relevant order by a single bench six months ago.