New Delhi: While the deaths in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore from drinking water contamination has put the spotlight on water management failures, a look at reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India in recent years shows documented warnings from the auditor.A CAG report in 2019, said 8.95 lakh residents were supplied contaminated water while 5.45 lakh cases of water borne diseases were reported by officials during this period. Another CAG report in 2022 highlighted lack of water testing by urban local bodies (ULBs) and said adverse effects on the health of the population cannot be ruled out, and found no separate programme for flushing or cleaning of distribution pipelines had been prepared. A committee from the government-run Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College in Madhya Pradesh has submitted an audit report to the Indore administration which said that 15 of the 21 fatalities might be linked to a recent outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea in Bhagirathpura area, reported Press Trust of India, citing sources. While the Indore administration has so far confirmed the deaths of six persons due to vomiting and diarrhoea caused by drinking contaminated water, local residents have said that 23 patients, including a six-month-old child, have died so far due to the outbreak connected with contaminated drinking water.2019 CAG report found 8.95 lakh residents supplied contaminated waterA CAG report in 2019, for the year ended March 31, 2018, that included a performance audit of the water supply management in Bhopal and Indore Municipal Corporations found significant lapses.The report said that during the period 2013-18, 8.95 lakh residents were supplied contaminated water while the Public Health department also reported 5.45 lakh cases of water borne diseases during this period.The audit found 4,481 water samples (physical, chemical and bacteriological) were found to be adverse but the report said that the audit could not ascertain what action had been taken by both the municipal corporations.“Independent water sample testing was conducted jointly and it revealed that out of 54 water samples, 10 water samples were found adverse having turbidity and faecal coliform. As a result, 8.95 lakh residents (3.62 lakh in BMC and 5.33 lakh in IMC) were supplied contaminated water. The Public Health department also reported 5.45 lakh cases of water borne diseases during the above period,” the report said.The audit further found that the Indore Municipal Corporation was supplying bore well water without any testing. “Out of the 20 bore well water samples jointly collected and tested, all the samples were either having Iron, Nitrate, Calcium, Conductivity or Faecal Coliform more than the prescribed BIS 10500 norms which can lead to liver, heart, pancreatic damage, diabetes, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain, digestive problems, jaundice, typhoid and kidney stones,” it said.The CAG report also said that no monitoring mechanism was developed for water supply at the state level as well as municipal corporations level. A water audit was also not done by the municipal corporations therefore estimation of losses in the water supply system could not be ascertained.Lack of regular water testingAnother CAG report in 2022 on Panchayati Raj Institutions and ULBs for the period 2021-22 said adverse effects on the health of the population due to supply of water without regular testing cannot be ruled out. The report said that out of the 14 audited ULBs, only 10 had water treatment plants (WTP) and out of these, only seven ULBs had laboratories. It said reasons for not establishing laboratories in other seven ULBs were not on record. “Thus, in the absence of any laboratories, it could not be ascertained by audit as to how regular testing of the quality of water on all parameters was being done by the ULBs. Consequently, Audit is unable to derive assurance that the ULBs were ensuring quality control of the water being supplied to consumers,” the report said.The report also said that adverse effects on the health of the population due to supply of water without regular testing cannot be ruled out. This after the audit found that in eight ULBs, tests were not being conducted regularly, the ULBs did not ensure quality control of water through regular tests as per prescribed minimum sampling frequency. “The Department should take action against the erring officials for their failure to ensure control over water quality through regular testing,” the report said.While prescribed guidelines call for preventive maintenance of the distribution system to ensure preserving bacteriological quality of water in the distribution system as well as adequate flow through the pipelines, the audit found that of all the 14 ULBs selected, no separate program for flushing or cleaning of distribution pipelines had been prepared. “Thus, compliance to CPHEEO (Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation) norms was not done and it could not be assured that consumers were getting clean water through distribution lines,” the report said.