India, March 13 -- Chandigarh In response to MP Manish Tewari's questions on contaminated water supply in Chandigarh, the Centre on Thursday informed the Lok Sabha that the issue occurred largely due to muddy water entering pipelines during repair works and the use of water pumps by residents during non-supply hours. Replying to the MP, Union housing and urban affairs minister Manohar Lal said complaints in UT had been reported from nearby areas such as Mauli Jagran, Daria and Hallo Majra. The minister said large-scale contamination was not found in the water quality testing, carried out in the city. Satisfactory results were found for over 1,995 water samples which were tested in the last three months through NABL-accredited laboratories. According to the government, the UT water system is relatively old and can develop leakages or damaged leading to muddy pipelines. He added that in such instances, affected pipelines are flushed and chlorinated to ensure safe drinking water. Long-term infrastructure upgrades have also been planned to prevent such incidents, which include phased replacement of ageing distribution pipelines with ductile iron pipelines and extension of canal water supply to nearby areas, which partly depend on groundwater. Highlighting projects like Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0, the minister stated that with a total cost of Rs.166.39 crore, the UT currently has seven approved projects. These include two water supply projects, and five sewerage and septage management projects. To address water management issues, the ministry issued an advisory in January 2026, asking the states and UTs to identify vulnerable areas and adopt geospatial mapping of water and sewer networks. Reacting to the minister's response, Tewari said, "The government is being economical with the truth and attempting to cover up a very grave situation. The reality is that in most rehabilitation colonies of Chandigarh, the drinking water pipes and sewage lines have corroded as they lie next to each and the water is being contaminated. There is an urgent need to carry out an audit of the drinking water and sewage lines in all relief and rehabilitation colonies to ascertain the leakages and fix them."...