CAG Warned of Water Contamination and Disease Outbreak in Indore and Bhopal 6 Years Ago
It shows lack of monitoring of filter plants at operational level as well as distribution level
Bhopal: The Controller and Auditor General (CAG) had flagged concern over water contamination in Indore and Bhopal six years ago while sounding a warning of possibility of an outbreak of water borne diseases in the two mega cities in Madhya Pradesh.
The CAG in its report of 2019 had noted finding of harmful bacteria in water samples collected in the areas under Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) and Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) while warning that ‘possibility of water borne diseases could not be ruled out due to contaminated water’.
“Thus 8.95 lakh residents (3.62 lakh in BMC and 5.33 lakh in IMC) of the area were likely to be affected due to supply of contaminated water having faecal coliform”, the CAG report of 2019 had said.
The report further said that ‘It shows lack of monitoring of filter plants at operational level as well as distribution level. On the adverse reports the EE (executive engineer), SRL (State Research Laboratory), Bhopal, stated (February 2019) that presence of turbidity in clear water indicates non-maintenance of filter media in the filter plants of the concerned MCs (Municipal Corporations). It was also stated that possibility of water borne diseases could not be ruled out due to contaminated water’.
The CAG report of 2019 further said that ‘Commissioner of IMC stated (in February 2019) that remedial action would be taken and accordingly intimated to the audit’.
As many as 4,481 water samples collected between 2013-2018 in IMC and BMC areas had been found to be contaminated.
Out of these samples, 3,074 samples were found physically contaminated, 147 samples were found chemically contaminated and 827 samples were found virologically contaminated.
Data gathered during 2013-2018 by the CAG in Indore indicated that 40,447 cases of diarrhea, 1,462 cases of typhoid and 625 cases of different viral infections were reported during the period.
