BIS Chennai Ensures Quality of Packaged Drinking Water through Increased Surveillance
Introduction: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Chennai, has recently stepped up its monitoring and surveillance activities to ensure the quality of packaged drinking water units in and around the city. With an increase in raids and inspections, BIS aims to maintain strict adherence to quality control standards. Let’s take a closer look at their efforts and the significance of this initiative.
Enhanced Surveillance: Over the past year, BIS officials have conducted 24 raids on packaged drinking water units in Chennai. In addition, approximately 1,691 factory inspections were carried out, and around 3,528 samples of various products were tested. Market surveillance has witnessed a significant 150% increase, with a particular emphasis on raids and sample collection from packaged drinking water units, which has risen by approximately 10%.
Importance of Packaged Drinking Water: Despite the stabilization of piped water supply by Metrowater in many areas of the city, packaged drinking water continues to be widely used by both commercial and domestic consumers in Chennai. The city consumes approximately 1.1 crore liters of packaged drinking water on a daily basis.
Licensing and Complaints: BIS has issued 725 licenses for private water packaging units operating in and around Chennai. Interestingly, there has been no significant surge in the number of applications for packaged drinking water production licenses in the past two years. However, complaints related to violations of ISI (Indian Standards Institute) marks have increased.
Intensified Inspection Operations: BIS has significantly intensified its inspection operations to ensure adherence to quality control standards. This proactive approach is a response to both routine inspections and complaints received through the BISCare app, which serves as a reliable grievance redressal mechanism for the public.
Efforts to Uphold Quality Standards: G. Bhavani, the head of BIS Chennai branch office, revealed that the bureau receives an average of 12 license applications per month, with three of them relating to packaged drinking water. During raids, it was discovered that many units either operated without a valid license or had quality issues with their products.
Continuous Quality Monitoring: BIS has issued 1,384 licenses for various products. In cases where samples fail to meet the required quality standards, additional samples are collected from the same water packaging units at regular intervals to closely monitor the quality.
Conclusion: The increased surveillance and monitoring by BIS in Chennai regarding packaged drinking water units is a crucial step towards ensuring the quality and safety of this essential commodity. By conducting raids, inspections, and regular sample testing, BIS aims to maintain the highest standards of quality control. Consumers can be confident in the safety and reliability of the packaged drinking water available in and around Chennai, thanks to the proactive efforts of BIS in upholding quality standards.
