Countless vendors deliver water cans to homes, offices, and even government buildings in the state capital. From private employees to cabinet ministers, these cans reach every doorstep. Yet the question of purity remains largely ignored.
Many suppliers claim to hold valid trade licences, and some display FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) stickers. Still, serious doubts persist about the legitimacy and oversight of such claims.
Food Inspector Debendra Dubey says: “Section 26(2) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 does not categorise water cans as food items, so we lack the jurisdiction to regulate these suppliers.” But a closer reading of the Act reveals a contradiction. Chapter 1 defines food as any substance, whether processed, partially processed or unprocessed, that is intended for human consumption. This clearly opens the door to interpret drinking water as a substance that should fall under regulatory scrutiny.
Adding to the concerns is the fact that dozens of these water suppliers operate from Old City localities along Betasia Road, where the quality of water has remained suspect since the 1984 Gas Disaster.
A 2018 report by the CSIR–Indian Institute of Toxicology Research confirmed contamination near the Union Carbide factory site. Similar findings were documented in 1999 by Greenpeace, in 2009 by the Centre for Science and Environment, in 2018 by the Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, and in 2019 by the Sambhavna Trust Clinic. All concluded the groundwater near the Carbide plant remains unsafe. After the gas tragedy, the government had even sealed off a one-kilometre radius due to dangerous levels of contamination.
More recently, the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) collected water samples from 42 locations across 19 residential colonies. The findings were alarming. Contamination was detected in several areas, including densely populated and vulnerable neighbourhoods.
Despite these repeated warnings, water can suppliers continue to operate freely in many of these places, selling cans at Rs 30 to Rs 40 — while residents remain unaware of what exactly they’re consuming. Repeated efforts to contact the FSSAI Commissioner and the Nodal Officer proved futile, as neither of the two was available for comment.
