The water has not been tested by the authorities since last year. Another startling fact is that the BMC commissioner is ignorant of the source of water supply (Raslakhedi), its location and the contamination limit of the water.
As expected, a blame game is on between the BMC and the Bhopal Gas Relief and Rehabilitation Department. The department says it is following the court guidelines and working as a nodal agency, while the BMC says it is the department's responsibility to ensure the water is tested.
"This is for the first time I have heard of Raslakhedi. Where is it? We perform our own chemical and physical tests before supply. I don't have any idea under which project we supply water to the gas affected. Please ask the gas relief department." This was how BMC Commissioner Nikunj Shrivastava responded to a query on the source of contaminated water in the area.
Image: A relative of Bhopal gas leak victims, with a portrait of his lost elder brother | Photograph: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images
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