BMC urges Mumbaikars to use 120-year-old Dadar laboratory for food and water testing
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has urged citizens, housing societies, restaurants, and commercial establishments to utilize its Municipal Analyst Laboratory in Dadar to test the quality of their food and drinking water. Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Prajakta Verma-Lavangare emphasized the initiative, stating that ensuring access to safe food and water is essential for protecting public health.
Established in 1903, the laboratory has served Mumbai continuously for nearly 123 years. Located in Dadar, it is the civic body's only laboratory dedicated to testing both food and water samples. The facility is recognized as a State Food Laboratory by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
The laboratory offers water quality testing at nominal charges to the public. To ensure convenience, test reports are delivered within 24 hours of submission via WhatsApp and email. According to senior civic officials, the facility is equipped with modern analytical instruments and upgraded technology, conducting over 70,000 tests annually, which includes more than 45,000 water samples.
The facility regularly analyzes drinking water supplied by the BMC's Water Supply Department, as well as water used for construction activities, swimming pools, and ice manufacturing. It also tests food samples collected from street food vendors and local eateries to detect contamination and monitor quality standards.
Beyond civic and public requests, the laboratory examines food and water samples received from the Central Railway, Western Railway, and Konkan Railway. It also analyzes midday meal samples from schools and tests prohibited products, including gutkha, flavored supari, and flavored tobacco, submitted by the Mumbai Police. Approximately 8,000 such external samples are tested every year.
Over the past decade, the laboratory has analyzed more than seven lakh food and water samples. The BMC is currently executing a modernization project at the Dadar facility to expand its testing capacity and align its analytical capabilities with international standards.
