Haryana failed to provide adequate, quality water to residents: CAG report

While assessing the quality of water supplied in six districts, the CAG found that chlorination for disinfecting the water was not detected in the samples at 12 out of 25 locations selected and was found to be more than the prescribed limit at 11 locations.

A performance audit by the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) has found that the Haryana government failed to provide adequate and quality water to its citizens. The report pertaining to rural and urban water schemes of the state was tabled in the state assembly recently.

A performance audit by the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) has found that the Haryana government failed to provide adequate and quality water to its citizens. (HT file photo)

The CAG report said that assessment of quantity of water being supplied was one of the objectives of its performance audit. During audit, it was observed that elaborate data regarding operational hours of water motors, tubewells and machinery details - brake horse power, litre per minute etc. was not available in divisions. Hence, to determine actual quantity of water supplied, 58 locations were selected where the departments of public health, Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) and, urban local bodies agreed to install flow meters at water works.

The report said that out of 12 locations of the public health department, water supply in respect of eight locations and out of 20 locations of HSVP, water supply in respect of 15 locations was below the prescribed norms. “Thus, the departments failed to provide water supply to the inhabitants according to the prescribed norms,” the CAG said.

In a beneficiary survey, the audit found that 95 of the 608 beneficiaries (16%) said that water supply was available after a gap of one or more than a day, whereas 125 of the 608 beneficiaries (21%) stated that there was shortage of water supply in summer. People met their needs through tankers either provided by the department or private, the report said.

The CAG said the HSVP and urban local bodies department never conducted an audit to detect the estimated water losses by calculating water availability and further distribution to consumers. In the absence of a water audit, the estimation of water losses is not possible, which is a cause of concern, it said.

According to the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation’s operation and maintenance manual, audit of water supply schemes is defined as the assessment of the capacity of total water produced by the authority and the actual quantity distributed throughout the area of service of the authority, leading to an estimation of the losses

While assessing the quality of water supplied in six districts, the CAG found that chlorination for disinfecting the water was not detected in the samples at 12 out of selected 25 locations and was found to be more than the prescribed limit at 11 locations. The report said in presence of coliforms during bacteriological analysis of water samples confirmed that water was not potable. It was observed that presence of coliforms was detected in 19 samples (76% water samples) out of 25 samples, as per analysis done at the public health department laboratory. However, as per analysis at the SRI laboratory, the same was detected only in five samples (20% water samples).

“The test result of water samples clearly indicates that the department failed to supply potable water to inhabitants. From 2016-21, as many as 2,901 cases of water-borne diseases and 14 deaths related to these cases were reported as per information furnished by the health department. In four of the eight selected districts, 1,382 cases of water-borne diseases and 12 deaths against these cases were noticed from 2016-21,” the CAG observed.