MCD staff crunch hits water checks

Issue comes into focus after Indore water contamination tragedy, which claimed 23 lives

- ADITI RAY CHOWDHURY @New Delhi

PUBLIC health surveillance in the national capital is operating with a severe shortage of public health inspectors (PHIs), undermining routine monitoring of drinking water quality across the city, officials from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) aware of the matter said.

The issue has come under renewed focus following the recent Indore water contamination tragedy, which has claimed around 23 lives, according to latest reports, triggering wider scrutiny of drinking water safety across several parts of the country. PHIs in the MCD are responsible for routine monitoring of drinking water quality, food safety and sanitation.

However, Delhi currently has only about 150 PHIs and assistant PHIs combined across the civic body’s 12 zones, far below the requirement for effective ward-level surveillance.