The parliamentary estimates committee headed by BJP MP Murli Manohar Joshi, in its first report tabled on Thursday, on arsenic in ground water, has criticized the Centre for “neglecting” the serious issue that impacts at least 7 crore people across six states, according to CSIR estimates (data from different ministries and departments on the subject varies widely, the committee found).
The panel has recommended that the Centre take up the issue on war footing through a national task force that can work on mission-mode from collating date to taking remedial measures to providing for health care to affected people.
The committee has suggested that the issue be dealt with at the central level, instead of asking states alone to tackle the problem. Joshi said, “To say water is a state issue is no logic, given the scale of the problem, the Centre cannot escape its responsibility to provide safe drinking water for 7 crore people, which is their fundamental right.” He was speaking at a press conference after the report was tabled.
The report has recommended that a national task force be set up on a time-bound basis that will work on mission mode on the issue that affects people, plants, animals and all else around it. The committee has also recommended for a central fund allocation for the purpose. At a press conference, Joshi said, the Centre cannot escape its responsibility to provide safe, potable water to 7 crore Indians which is there fundamental right.
The report says, “… only after the matter has been taken up by the (estimates) committee, a core committee headed by the director, National Institute of Hydrology has recommended in its report submitted on October 15, 2014, that each affected states should have an Arsenic Task Force spearheaded by the model National Arsenic Mission Task Force at the central level. The committee found it intriguing as to why all the ministries and departments of the government of India remained oblivious of the said the core committee while deposing before the estimates committee.”
The report further said: “The committee believes it is callous negligence on part of the government that they had not taken any action in this regard and urged the government to ensure functioning of the core committee on war footing.” The estimates committee has asked for the results of the action taken to be submitted within three months.
The parliamentary panel recommended scrapping of “relaxed” permissible limit for arsenic in drinking water and said the WHO recommended norms should be complied with. In its report on arsenic in water, the committee said it has not found any scientific basis in the Bureau of Indian Standards prescription of maximum permissible limit for arsenic in drinking water at 0.05 mg/l (milligram per litre) which is higher than WHO standard of 0.01mg/l.
The committee found that the WHO standard was “relaxed” merely due to abundance of arsenic in ground water and lack of alternative source of water. It said no notification or order was found in records to point out as to who relaxed the norms.
Joshi said this is for the first time that a parliamentary panel had taken up the subject of arsenic in drinking water, when the first case of arsenic in water in the country came to light in 1976 in Chandigarh.
