NEW DELHI: Public health surveillance in the national capital is operating with a severe shortage of public health inspectors (PHIs), undermining routine monitoring of drinking water quality across the city, officials from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) aware of the matter said.
The issue has come under renewed focus following the recent Indore water contamination tragedy, which has claimed around 23 lives, according to latest reports, triggering wider scrutiny of drinking water safety across several parts of the country. PHIs in the MCD are responsible for routine monitoring of drinking water quality, food safety and sanitation.
However, Delhi currently has only about 150 PHIs and assistant PHIs combined across the civic body’s 12 zones, far below the requirement for effective ward-level surveillance.
Speaking on the matter to this newspaper, officials said that at least one PHI per ward, supported by Assistant PHIs, is the minimum requirement for meaningful implementation of public health norms. As per older standards, the city required close to 250 PHIs. Even by revised estimates, Delhi is functioning at nearly half the required strength.
“At present, there is not even one PHI per ward,” an official said, highlighting the structural manpower gap. They further said that the shortage persists largely because sanctioned posts are not filled regularly. As a result, the public health system functions predominantly on a complaint-driven model rather than proactive surveillance.
“While inspectors do carry out surprise checks and targeted sampling in high-footfall areas such as schools, markets and food establishments, comprehensive routine monitoring—particularly in residential areas—remains inadequate due to limited staff,” the officials said.
They stressed that the shortfall is not a departmental lapse but a systemic administrative issue, as repeated requests for additional manpower have remained unaddressed.
Staffing decisions, they said, lie beyond the department’s control. The role of PHIs is critical to preventive public health. Apart from water sampling, they are responsible for food hygiene inspections, sanitation checks, outbreak surveillance and emergency response.
Their presence becomes especially crucial during health crises, including disease outbreaks, floods and pandemics.
Officials cautioned that the impact of chronic understaffing is not always immediately visible. “If there is no cholera or typhoid outbreak in Delhi, it is because of preventive public health work,” an official said, adding that the absence of major crises often masks the strain on the system.
However, despite manpower constraints, officials claim that the city’s public health outcomes fare better as compared to neighbouring NCR cities, where weaker enforcement and limited inspection capacity have often led to frequent outbreaks.
Delhi has only about 150 PHIs & assistant PHIs
Currently, the capital has only about 150 PHIs and Assistant PHIs combined across the 12 zones of the civic body, far below what is required for effective ward-level surveillance, said officials, adding that the lack of PHIs is not a departmental failure but a systemic administrative issue as repeated demands for additional manpower have grossly remained unaddressed.