The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has recently composed a draft standard focusing on the supply system of piped drinking water. This draft is titled ‘Drinking water supply quality management system — requirements for piped drinking water supply service’. The objective of this draft standard is to provide insight into the water supply process, from raw water sources to household taps, and make it more uniform.
Draft Standard: Explanation and Purpose
The intent behind this draft is to make the piped water supply process more consistent, particularly in rural and underprivileged areas. These areas typically operate based on various government orders and circulars. In drafting this standard, BIS incorporated the goals of the Centre’s Jal Jeevan Mission, which is aimed at providing safe and adequate tap water to all rural households by 2024. This draft standard was organised by the BIS’s Public Drinking Water Supply Services Sectional Committee.
Features of the Draft Standard
The draft outlines specific guidelines for water suppliers or utilities, including how they should establish, operate, maintain, and improve their piped drinking water supply service. It sets forth expectations for the top management of these water suppliers/utilities, such as a customer-focused attitude and accountability, establishing a quality policy for their service, monitoring the quality of water released to people, and conducting a water audit.
Standards for Treated Water
The draft also introduces the Indian Standard (IS) 10500 for treated drinking water. The IS 10500 outlines the permissible limit of heavy metals, like arsenic, pH value, turbidity, total dissolved solids, and the color and odor of the water.
District Metering Area
It suggests the implementation of the District Metering Area (DMA) concept, where possible, to monitor and control leakages in the water network by segregating it into several sectors or DMAs. Here, flow meters are installed to identify leaks.
Provisions for Water Meters
The draft recommends that water suppliers install bulk water meters in the water distribution system to facilitate a water audit. It also suggests provisions be made for domestic meters. However, direct access to these meters by consumers should be restricted to prevent potential tampering.
Quality Checking of Treated Water
The draft outlines that water should be sampled at the treatment plant every four hours against quality parameters to ensure its safety and cleanliness.
Background of the Draft Standard
The quality of drinking water became a pressing issue in November 2019 when a BIS report found Delhi’s tap water quality as the worst among 21 metros and state capitals in the country. Also, tap water in 13 state capitals did not comply with BIS standards.
Jal Jeevan Mission
Under this mission, the Union government aims to provide a water supply to every household by 2024. The mission is centered on various water conservation efforts. The Jal Shakti Ministry is the nodal ministry for the implementation of the mission.
