Table of Contents
No water supply / contamination — RTI to Jal Board / municipal water dept
Direct answer. File RTI to your Jal Board / Municipal Water Department. Ask supply schedule, complaints register, source contamination test results, leakage repair status, alternative supply (tanker) records.
Legal framework
- Constitution Article 21 (Right to Water) — judicially recognised.
- State Municipal Acts — water supply duty.
- Bureau of Indian Standards IS 10500:2012 — drinking water quality.
- Citizen Charter — supply schedule SLA.
5 questions to ask
- Daily supply schedule for my zone.
- Complaints register entries for last 30 days.
- Latest contamination test reports.
- Leakage repair work-orders.
- Tanker supply records.
Template
To: The Public Information Officer, Jal Board / Water Department Subject: Application under §6 RTI Act 2005 — Water supply non-delivery My address [..] receives [no/contaminated/insufficient] water. Please furnish: (1) supply schedule, (2) complaint register, (3) contamination test, (4) leakage repair WOs, (5) tanker supply records. Fee: Rs.10 by IPO/cash.
Common mistakes
- Filing only at the local complaint cell — go to Engineer-in-Chief.
- Not citing specific dates of non-supply.
- Skipping the BIS quality test request.
Case law anchors
- Subhash Kumar v. State of Bihar (1991) 1 SCC 598 — Article 21 includes clean water.
- CIC/MoUD/A/2017/000234 — water-supply records disclosable.
Pro tips
- Pair with municipal grievance app.
- Photograph the meter/tap during complaint.
FAQ
- Q: Society-wise vs individual? Society-wise complaint stronger; file collective RTI.
- Q: Bottled-water reimbursement? Some states (e.g. Delhi) allow it under contamination — ask for policy.
Related reading
Sources
- State Municipal Acts. BIS IS 10500:2012. Subhash Kumar (1991).
Last reviewed: 25 April 2026.