Bright blue water flows from taps in Delhi homes – residents are mystified

Some 50 homes in west Delhi began receiving bright blue-coloured water over the weekend, sparking an outcry. Namita Singh reports from Peeragarhi

Residents in India’s capital Delhi say they are alarmed and concerned after the water coming out of their taps turned an unnatural bright blue last week.

Some 50 homes in west Delhi were affected by the phenomenon over the weekend, sparking an outcry and demands for an explanation.

Mausami Devi, 55, told The Independent at her home in the Peeragarhi neighbourhood that she was used to occasional problems with their water supply – but nothing that compares to the vivid blue-coloured liquid that poured out of the taps on Saturday.

“It is so blue it stains your hand and doesn’t wash off even with soap,” she told The Independent.

“It’s been like this for the last four days,” she said as she fetched a bucket of water to back up her claim.

“I didn’t open the supply to my tank on Sunday because I was concerned that it would be polluted,” she said.

“The tank was empty by Monday and we needed water for everyday chores. But as you can see, it is still not clean,” she said, pointing at her bucket. “It is not as bad as it was on Saturday, but it is still blue.”

There is little clarity as to the source of contamination, with residents accusing local officials of inaction on the matter.

Mausami Devi shows the dirty water (Namita Singh/The Independent)

Peeragarhi village head Vinod Shaukeen, who is associated with prime minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said he sent “a swift complaint” to the Delhi Jal Board, the water authority in the city, when he learned about the contamination.

It was likely caused by sewage and chemical waste from denim-dyeing factories in the area, he said.

“There are at least eight to 10 such companies. After we raised a complaint, the people running the factories abandoned them and ran away,” he claimed.

According to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, denim-dyeing is permitted only in “approved industrial areas and Peeragarhi falls out of it”.

Peeragarhi’s villagers, however, are sympathetic to the illegal denim-dyeing factories because they provide employment.

“Joblessness is a real problem,” said Than Singh Yadav, 61, a village council representative. He said adverse action against the factories could drive them away and leave many residents without work.

“The main issue is how the contaminated water reached us,” Mr Yadav said.

“Blue colour from denim wash has helped us realise that the dirty water isn’t coming from a broken pipeline but from sewage discharge.”

Than Singh shows a bucketful of blue water (Namita Singh/The Independent)

The village has been getting “unclean water supply for four to six months”, Mr Yadav said. “Everytime we complain, authorities say that the pipeline is damaged due to metro construction. At least now we know it is waste water contamination.”

Bhanu Pratap, the Delhi Jal Board supervisor in the area, said he received a complaint about the blue water on Tuesday morning.

“The drinking water pipe had decayed and water from sewage blocking the road was contaminating the supply,” he said.

“The blue water is from jeans-dyeing factories that dump denim on the road. That too was polluting the supply water.”

The Independent could not verify the claims independently.

Peeragarhi’s residents protest against water contamination (Supplied)

Mr Pratap said they repaired the broken connection, “resolving the issue in 70 per cent of the households”.

“We also got the sewer cleaned.”

Authorities have collected samples from the area to test and narrow down the source of contamination, Mr Pratap said.

Sub divisional magistrate Virendra Singh Tomar, administrative head of the area, said the matter was under investigation.

He would not say if any action had been taken against officials responsible for maintenance of water supply lines or against the denim factories operating illegally in the area.

“Give me a few days,” he said. “We are preparing a report on the issue.”