‘Are we waiting to head the Indore way?’ Dirty water in taps for months, no resolution in sight at residential society in Noida Sector 29
Residents allege that instead of fixing the underlying issue, officials have been alternating between denial and temporary measures. “They told us insects were appearing because we are at the end of the supply line, or because of backflow from an unoccupied house,” Gumbeer says.
For nearly three months now, residents of Noida’s Sector 29 Brahmaputra Apartments — housing mostly army veterans — have been receiving muddy, foul-smelling water in their taps. On occasions, they claim, they have seen live worms wriggle out of water. After repeated complaints to authorities yielded little beyond assurances and temporary fixes, residents say, they were forced to get the drinking water tested privately.
The test reports have confirmed their worst fears — bacteriological contamination that renders the water unfit for human consumption. According to laboratory reports from a Delhi-based government-approved testing facility, coliform bacteria were detected in water samples collected from the society, a direct violation of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) drinking water norms, which mandates zero tolerance for coliform presence. Coliform typically indicates faecal contamination, often caused by sewage mixing.
Geeta Gumbeer, head of the area’s Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA), says, “Every now and then, we face such spells when we get dirty water in taps, but this time it has gone on far too long… three months. When we complain, the authorities give us excuses. They ask us to let the water run for half an hour… so it becomes clear but they have been unable to give a conclusive answer or resolution.”
On at least two occasions, Gumbeer adds, residents had to be hospitalised after suffering severe diarrhoea. “Their condition became so extreme that they had to be admitted. They told us they hadn’t eaten outside food for a long time. So what else could it be if not the water?” she questions. “What are we waiting for? an epidemic?” Gumbeer asks, referring to the deaths in Indore to alleged consumption of water contaminated with sewage — “Are we waiting for Noida to head the Indore way?”
Residents allege that instead of fixing the underlying issue, officials have been alternating between denial and temporary measures. “They told us insects were appearing because we are at the end of the supply line, or because of backflow from an unoccupied house,” Gumbeer says.
Another resident, Veera Prasad, said officials from the Jal Vibhag were largely unresponsive. “We went and met them. The attitude was completely lackadaisical.”
With no resolution in sight, most residents have installed a filter on the main supply line to trap larger particles, followed by RO filtration and boiling. “We cannot use RO water all the time, what do we do when we have to brush our teeth? An RO filter, which generally lasts three to six months, gets choked within a month,” Prasad says.
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The privately conducted water tests, carried out on samples collected from the society in January, show that while most chemical parameters such as pH, total dissolved solids, chloride, iron and hardness were within permissible limits, bacteriological tests failed. The report explicitly states that coliform bacteria were detected, and concludes that the sample “does not conform to IS 10500 standards in respect of coliform bacteria”. Taste testing was not conducted due to “presence of microbial growth”.
Several residents claim that many families have started taking deworming medication as a precaution. “Enough of the poodle-shaking and lame excuses. They keep sending lower-level staff who don’t understand the problem. The JE or senior officials never come. There is a complete ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude,” said Army General Rajender.
This comes amid repeated water contamination scares across Noida and Greater Noida over the past month, with reports on several residents in sectors such as Delta 1 and Alpha 2 being rushed to the hospital after consuming contaminated water. In January, following complaints of residents falling ill in Greater Noida, the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) had constituted a high-level technical committee to audit pipelines, reservoirs and water ATMs, amid heightened concern after deaths linked to contaminated water in Indore. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) also took suo motu cognisance of water contamination complaints in multiple states, including Uttar Pradesh, in January.
Meanwhile, residents of Sector 29 say that their patience is wearing thin.
Saman Husain is a Correspondent at The Indian Express. Based in New Delhi, she is an emerging voice in political journalism, reporting on civic governance, elections, migration, and the social consequences of policy, with a focus on ground-reporting across Delhi-NCR and western Uttar Pradesh.
Professional Profile
Education:
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science (Honours) from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, and is an alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai.
Core Beats:
Her reporting focuses on the national capital’s governance and politics. She specializes in Delhi’s civic administration and the city units of the BJP, AAP and Congress. In western Uttar Pradesh, she mostly reports on crime.
Specialization:
She has a keen interest in electoral processes and politics — her recent contributions include work on electoral roll revisions.
Recent Notable Articles (since July 2025)
Her recent work reflects a strong show-not-tell approach to storytelling, combining narrative reporting with political and historical context:
1. Politics:
“On the banks of the Yamuna, a political tussle for Purvanchali support” (October 6): A report on how migration histories shaped electoral strategies in Delhi before the Bihar elections.
“Explained: How Delhi’s natural drainage vanished gradually over the centuries” (September 29): An explanatory piece tracing the historical reasons that eventually led to the erosion of Delhi’s rivers and its impact on perrenial flooding.
2. Longforms
“Four weddings, three funerals: How a Uttar Pradesh man swindled insurance companies” (October 7): A long-read reconstructing a chilling fraud by a man who killed three of his family members, including both his parents for insurance proceeds. His fourth wife discovered his fraud…
“How Ghaziabad conman operated fake embassy of a country that doesn’t exist — for 9 years” (July 27) : A story on bizarre fraud operation and the institutional blind spots that enabled it.
3. Crime and Justice:
“He was 8 when his father was killed. Fifteen years later, in UP’s Shamli, he took revenge” (October 18): A deeply reported crime story tracing cycles of violence, memory and justice in rural Uttar Pradesh.
“Who killed 19 girls in Nithari? With the SC rejecting appeals, there are no answers and no closure” (July 31): A report capturing the long legal and emotional aftermath of one of India’s most chilling unsolved criminal cases.
4. Policy Impact
“At Manthan, over US tariffs, Delhi-NCR’s apparel industry brainstorms solutions” (September 8) and “Trump’s 50% tariff begins to bite: Agra’s leather belt feels the impact” (August 13) : Reports documenting how global trade decisions ripple through local industries, workers and exporters.
Signature Style
Saman is recognized for her grassroots storytelling. Her articles often focus on the "people behind the policy". She is particularly skilled at taking mundane administrative processes and turning them into compelling human narratives.
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