Worms found in drinking water at BMC headquarters

When Pratibha Patil, an employee with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), filled her bottle with water from the cooler on the second floor of the BMC headquarters at CST on Tuesday, she was shocked to find red worms floating in it.

When Pratibha Patil, an employee with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), filled her bottle with water from the cooler on the second floor of the BMC headquarters at CST on Tuesday, she was shocked to find red worms floating in it.

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She immediately alerted the building’s disaster management unit and shut off the supply before anyone could drink the water. Sources said the main water tank was examined and found contaminated with worms and fungus.

No one knows when the tank was last cleaned.

“This is the condition of the civic body that maintains India’s financial capital. What kind of services can you expect from such an administration?” a corporator said, requesting anonymity.

Patil, who works in the audit department, said they had been demanding that the BMC install water filters since the past five years.

Civic chief Swadheen Kshatriya expressed shock when the incident was raised at a meeting and said it was a “serious matter” that would be investigated.

Currently, average water contamination levels across the BMC’s wards in the city are between 8.25 per cent and 25.5 per cent. That is 11 per cent higher than last year’s levels.