he BIS drinking water specification (IS 10500:1991), which is a voluntary standard, was drawn up in 1983. It was last revised 17 years ago. A revision initiated in 2003, is still in its draft stage.
The Bhopal question has one more angle: why was there so much public and media outrage over this 25-year-old issue? Why did the national media focus on this story, which till now had been consigned to the backrooms where only noisy environmental activists live?