Water Quality Report Fabricated to Benefit RO Companies: AAP

New Delhi: The recent BIS report which said Delhi's water quality failed quality tests was "fabricated" to benefit manufactures of reverse osmosis (RO) purifiers, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claimed on Friday.

The party also asked what connection does Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan have with these companies.

AAP national spokesperson Raghav Chadha claimed that the report was presented to create an atmosphere in favour of the RO companies and alleged that a false report was created.

"Just before the hearing in the Supreme Court, an atmosphere was created to give the impression that quality of water was bad. It is BJP and Paswan who raised the issue whether water is fit to drink..," Chadha said.

The Centre and the city government have been trading allegations after Paswan had released on November 16 a Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) report, according to which Delhi has the most unsafe water among 21 major Indian cities.

Chadha demanded Paswan's resignation and asserted that the RO companies were "upset" as their business would get hurt if the water in Delhi could be directly consumed from tap water and claimed that is why the government was trying to safeguard them.

Chadha was referring to a case in the Supreme Court which is hearing a petition filed by Water Quality India Association, representing the RO manufacturers, challenging the NGT's order which had directed the government to regulate the use of purifiers and sensitise public about the ill effects of demineralised water.

Won’t Play Politics Over Water: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said he was not interested in politics over the water issue, days after a BIS report stated that the city's water failed quality test.

Talking to reporters here, the chief minister said that his government's priority is to provide clean water to the people of Delhi.

"I don't want to do politics over the water issue. They (BJP and the Centre) have nothing to do with the city's water, and they are just doing dirty politics.

"I want to request through you (media) that if there is any complaint about dirty water being supplied anywhere, the Delhi government will address it," he said.

Kejriwal said around 2,300 points were facing water quality-related issues when the AAP government took over in 2015 but now this number has come down to 125.

"If there is any colony where dirty water is being supplied, we will definitely address it," he said.

Citing media reports that suggested irregularities in the process of water sample collection in Delhi, Kejriwal had on Wednesday accused Paswan of "spreading lies and misleading people on the issue."

On Thursday, the Delhi Jal Board alleged that Paswan acted "irresponsibly" and "tabled a fake report" in Parliament about the national capital's water quality even as the AAP demanded the Union ministers' resignation.

Samples Fit For Drinking in 2nd Analysis: DJB

Meanwhile, the Delhi Jal Board on Friday said that samples from eight out of nine places in Delhi that figured in a BIS report have been found fit for drinking during a second analysis.

"Drinking water samples could not be collected from two places, including the official residence of Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, while one sample failed tests on one parameter -- had less than required chlorine content," DJB Vice Chairman Dinesh Mohaniya said at a press conference.