Superbug: Delhi govt to distribute free chlorine tablets

NEW DELHI: Following reports about a drug-resistant superbug being found in Delhi waters, the city government today decided to distribute chlorine tablets to people free of cost but insisted that it was only a precautionary measure and the water is totally safe.

The decision, aimed at ensuring that people do not contract any water-borne disease, was taken at a high-level meeting presided over by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

Top officials of National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi Jal Board, Directorate of Health Services of Delhi government, Maulana Azad Medical College and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute attended it.

After the meeting, Dikshit told reporters that no superbug has been found in Delhi water and the DJB has been lifting around 400 water samples on a daily basis to check the quality of water.

Top officials said that DJB as well as NEERI have not found any presence of any bacterial contamination in Delhi water. They said the chlorination being undertaken by DJB is sufficient to kill all kinds of bacteria, including NDM-1.

They said the meeting decided to distribute chlorine tablets free of cost in all government hospitals and dispensaries as well as in DJB offices. The step is being taken as a precautionary measure to protect people from water-borne diseases, they said.