Question : STANDARD SET FOR DRINKING WATER

(a) whether the Government have decided to set standards for drinking water;

(b) if so, whether any concrete proposals in this regard have been worked out;

(c) the names of the laboratories which are competent to test and detect all types of pesticides in drinking water;

(d) whether the standards set for pesticides in drinking water are exactly the same as European Standard;

(e) if so, whether the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA) has been following EU standard for pesticides in bottled water instead of Codex guidelines; and

(f) if so, the merits for opting to follow EU standard?

MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (SMT. SUSHMA SWARAJ)

(a)to(f): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 31 FOR 3.12.2003

The Central Government has not specified any standards for drinking water since `water` is not included within the definition of `food` under the PFA Act, 1954. However, the Central Government had declared packaged drinking water as an item of food in exercise of its powers under section 2
(v) (c) of PFA Act, 1954, vide Notification GSR 202 (E) dated 21.3.2001. Government has laid down standards for Mineral Water and Packaged Drinking Water vide Notification No. GSR 759(E) dated 29.9.2000 (with effect from 29.3.2001) and GSR 760 (E) dated 29.9.2000 (with effect from 29.3.2001) respectively. The standards for pesticide residues in packaged drinking water have been revised vide Notification GSR 554 (E) dated 18th July, 2003 and the limits notified are the same as those prescribed by the EU. The revised standards would come into effect from 1st January, 2004.

Central Food Laboratories, Mysore and Kolkata under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare are competent to test and detect all types of pesticides in both mineral and packaged drinking water. In addition, BIS has approved the following laboratories for testing of packaged drinking water for pesticide residues:-

(A)	Shriram Institute for Industrial Research, New Delhi.

(B)	SGS India Pvt. Ltd., Chennai, Tamil Nadu

(C)	Vimta Labs Ltd., Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh

(D)	Choksi Laboratories Ltd., Indore, Madhya Pradesh

(E)	Reliable Analytical Laboratory, Mumbai

(F)	Sargam Metals Laboratory, Chennai.