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Gurugram: Residents of Westend Heights in DLF 5 who fell ill after allegedly consuming “drinking water” supplied by the GMDA, claimed that the water was so filthy that even water purifiers were ineffective.
A resident, who requested anonymity, said, “Of the 360 or so families who live here, most use RO systems to filter water. However, the water that is ‘filtered’ is also so dirty that we cannot consume it at all.”
There are 380 apartments in the condominium, of which 365 are occupied.
Most apartments have RO (reverse osmosis, a water treatment process that removes contaminants from water by using pressure to force molecules through a semipermeable membrane) systems installed, residents said, adding that they are now buying only bottled water.
“We have requested residents to drink bottled water and to use boiled water for cooking,” said Ashok Tandon, an RWA member.
Last week, after at least 205 residents of Westend Heights in DLF Phase 5 fell ill — the youngest among them being a two-year-old boy, who was hospitalised for diarrhoea — after consuming allegedly contaminated drinking water, authorities swung into action to discover the source of the problem
Abhinav Verma, executive engineer, Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), infrastructure 2 division, said the fault did not lie at their end — the authority supplied water to several societies in the area, none of which had reported any issues. Plus, they tested the master water supply lines leading towards the area, but no source of contamination was found.
However, when they collected samples from the society on Saturday, they found that the TDS (total dissolved solids, refers to the amount of minerals, metals, organic material and salts that are dissolved in water) value of the water that reaches houses within the society is higher than the TDS value of water supplied by GMDA, indicating that the water may have been contaminated by other sources within the society. However, the GMDA did not reveal the exact values.
“Either contamination took place in the underground or overhead storage tanks of the society, or in the mixing of borewell water installed in the society premises. Additionally, the lack of disinfection in the stored water can also be a cause,” Verma said.
Ranjana Chaudhuri, a hydrologist and water resources management expert, said that the TDS value could be high due to anthropogenic sources such as sewage contamination, fertilizer, industrial wastewater, etc. “It is important to identify the source of high TDS. It means potassium or sodium or calcium or magnesium is high and anions like nitrates, sulphate, carbonate are high. TDS upto 1,000-1,500ppm can be treated by RO systems,” she said.
Chaudhuri said that if untreated, the water tastes salty. If TDS is high because of impurities, then the RO membrane may not be sufficient to treat it and it may need RO + UV(ultraviolet) + ultrafiltration to allow all salts to be absorbed, however, the chances of demineralisation of water becomes an issue. “In short, identifying the source of contamination is essential to reduce the TDS,” she said.
Another expert said that if the water from the RO tastes saltier than usual, one should call a professional for a maintenance check and get the purifier cleaned or filter changed. “The process should be done every six months,” he said.
Krishna Vihari, a technician working with a reputed RO company, said that water with up to 300ppm is considered good for drinking and water with a TDS level of 1,000ppm or above is not recommended for drinking. “In Gurugram, the TDS level is around 300ppm on Sohna Road and below 250ppm on Golf Course Road. The RO systems in Gurugram require more servicing as compared to other cities and we need to change filters every quarter for better results because the TDS level in the water here is high,” he said.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), TDS level less than 300ppm is considered excellent, between 300 and 600ppm is good, 600-900ppm is fair, 900-1,200ppm is poor and TDS level more than 1,200ppm is unacceptable.
A 20-litre branded mineral water bottle can maintain a TDS level of 120ppm, making it fit for drinking, said another water expert.
Verma said that they regularly check the TDS of the water GMDA supplies and run regular tests to ensure water is safe for drinking. “We have water supply from canals so the TDS varies. The water supply is monitored by the irrigation department also and we do not release the supply if the TDS levels are not safe,” he said.
Leena Dhankhar has worked with Hindustan Times for five years. She has covered crime, traffic and excise. She now reports on civic issues and grievances of residents. ...view detail
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