How Often Should Drinking Water Be Tested Under the Factory Act 1948 and BOCW Act?

What is the frequency of drinking water testing as per the Factory Act 1948 and BOCW Act? The frequency of the same test is not given in the Factory Act 1948. Kindly reply.

Dear Kailash,

The frequency of drinking water testing is not mentioned in any of the Indian statutes. If this is a requirement under any of your Environmental consents, then it becomes mandatory. As a best practice, annually you can conduct testing on the potable water as per IS 10500:2012.

Dipil sir,

Due to the contaminated water, construction workers have been suffering from waterborne diseases like typhoid, diarrhea, etc. In the construction site, we usually bring water from a supplier for the laborers without any water testing. As a safety professional, we are responsible for providing a healthy working environment for the workers. Please tell me, without any testing, how can we ensure the quality of water? I think at least this provision should be included in the Factory Act and BOCW Act.

I think what you can do practically is to check the source of incoming water to your construction site. If it's supplied in a tanker, go to the source and conduct an inspection. Is the water being filled in the tanker from a bore well or any other polluted source?

Apart from the above, there are efforts from the Ministry of Water Resources related to water. The Draft National Water Framework Bill, 2016, and Model Bill for Conservation, Protection, Regulation, and Management of Groundwater, 2016 have been released for public comments. If you are interested, please see the documents attached.

We can hope that in the coming days, the BOCW and Factory Rules will also address this issue.

Kind regards,
[Your Name]

You are required to get it tested once if there is no change in the source of supply under IS 10500:2012 through an IS certified/NABL certified lab.