HC seeks govt report on water quality in urban areas | Bhubaneswar News
Cuttack: Water quality management in urban areas has come under judicial scrutiny with the Orissa high court seeking an action taken report from the govt after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) indicated serious shortcomings in testing infrastructure in its recent report tabled before the assembly.
The court was hearing a PIL filed by Maitree Sansad, a Cuttack-based voluntary organisation, seeking intervention for the supply of safe drinking water.
The court sought the report from the govt after petitioner’s counsel Ajay Mohanty filed an affidavit, citing the CAG report, which said the achievement of 100% water quality, as envisaged in the Water Policy-2013, remained unfulfilled.
Taking note of the petitioner’s affidavit, the division bench of Justices Sangam Kumar Sahoo and Chittaranjan Dash said in its Dec 9 order, “It appears that the CAG report was placed before the assembly in which serious shortcomings in testing infrastructure that compromises with the water quality have been highlighted.”
The bench added, “Let the counsel for the state produce the CAG report and also obtain instruction whether any such report was placed before the assembly and if so, whether any action was decided to be taken thereon.” The matter was directed to be listed ‘in the week commencing Jan 6, 2025′.
In the affidavit, the petitioner said, “The CAG found nine labs (one in Bhubaneswar and eight in public health divisions) set up by Public Health Engineering Organisation in collaboration with Spectro Analytical Lab Ltd at around Rs 18 crore are not conducting four important tests of disinfection by product (DBP), Anionic Detergent, Chloramines and mineral oil.”
The affidavit also pointed out that the CAG report said at water treatment plants, out of a target of 115 water testing laboratories (WTL)s, only 22, which is 19%, are in place and there is no plan to bridge the shortfall in a time-bound manner.
According to the affidavit, the CAG further observed that though the Odisha State Urban Water Supply Policy (OSUWSP) envisaged the preparation of an action plan, which included the establishment of water treatment labs and mobile water testing labs to achieve 100% water quality, no such action plan was prepared and no mobile lab has been set up.
The bench also said, “Clean water is the basic human right which we are all entitled to. It is essential to a healthy lifestyle. Intake of pure water is like washing out our insides, which cleanses our system. Everyone is waiting for that golden era when people would not depend upon sealed bottles of drinking water of any company, or any water purifier machine, but it would be readily made available to them from the water taps in the streets and water connections provided to their households.”
The court was hearing a PIL filed by Maitree Sansad, a Cuttack-based voluntary organisation, seeking intervention for the supply of safe drinking water.
The court sought the report from the govt after petitioner’s counsel Ajay Mohanty filed an affidavit, citing the CAG report, which said the achievement of 100% water quality, as envisaged in the Water Policy-2013, remained unfulfilled.
Taking note of the petitioner’s affidavit, the division bench of Justices Sangam Kumar Sahoo and Chittaranjan Dash said in its Dec 9 order, “It appears that the CAG report was placed before the assembly in which serious shortcomings in testing infrastructure that compromises with the water quality have been highlighted.”
The bench added, “Let the counsel for the state produce the CAG report and also obtain instruction whether any such report was placed before the assembly and if so, whether any action was decided to be taken thereon.” The matter was directed to be listed ‘in the week commencing Jan 6, 2025′.
In the affidavit, the petitioner said, “The CAG found nine labs (one in Bhubaneswar and eight in public health divisions) set up by Public Health Engineering Organisation in collaboration with Spectro Analytical Lab Ltd at around Rs 18 crore are not conducting four important tests of disinfection by product (DBP), Anionic Detergent, Chloramines and mineral oil.”
The affidavit also pointed out that the CAG report said at water treatment plants, out of a target of 115 water testing laboratories (WTL)s, only 22, which is 19%, are in place and there is no plan to bridge the shortfall in a time-bound manner.
According to the affidavit, the CAG further observed that though the Odisha State Urban Water Supply Policy (OSUWSP) envisaged the preparation of an action plan, which included the establishment of water treatment labs and mobile water testing labs to achieve 100% water quality, no such action plan was prepared and no mobile lab has been set up.
The bench also said, “Clean water is the basic human right which we are all entitled to. It is essential to a healthy lifestyle. Intake of pure water is like washing out our insides, which cleanses our system. Everyone is waiting for that golden era when people would not depend upon sealed bottles of drinking water of any company, or any water purifier machine, but it would be readily made available to them from the water taps in the streets and water connections provided to their households.”
