The Supreme Court has asked the RO Manufacturers Association to approach the government on the National Green Tribunal's order prohibiting the use of reverse osmosis (RO) purifiers where total dissolved solids (TDS) in water are below 500 mg per litre.
The SC said this while hearing a petition filed by Water Quality India Association, representing the RO manufacturers, challenging the NGT's order which had directed the government to regulate the use of purifiers and sensitise public about the ill effects of demineralised water.
A bench of justices RF Nariman and S Ravindra Bhat said the association can approach the concerned ministry within 10 days with relevant materials in this regard and the government will consider it before issuing a notification as per the NGT's direction.
During the hearing, the counsel representing the association referred to a recent BIS report on standards of water in various cities across the country and said that it points out presence of heavy metals in Delhi's groundwater.
WHAT IS THE CASE
The Water Quality India Association had on Thursday moved the Supreme Court against a ban imposed by the NGT on use of RO filters in Delhi as they "unnecessarily result in rejecting 80 per cent of potable water".
The NGT in its order on May 20 had directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests to frame rules for manufacturing and sale of RO filters, and banned use of RO in areas where the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in water was already low.
It had also directed that wherever RO is permitted, manufacturers should ensure that more than 60 per cent of water should be recovered. Current systems discard about 80 per cent of the water which is being treated, leading to huge wastage.
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