Date:08/02/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/02/08/stories/2004020803330300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Look for ISI mark in gas water heaters

By Divya Sreedharan

BANGALORE, FEB. 7. Makers of gas water heaters promise you 70 per cent savings on your monthly power bill. In an energy-starved State like Karnataka it works like a charm.

But the downside is that not every brand of gas water heater is safe. For that matter, most are not even certified safe.

Bangalore has a few brands in the market right now. One more was launched last year. Called Indus Automatic Instant Gas heater, the product is made in China and sold here by Indus.

Over 1,500 units of the product had been sold throughout the State and "there had been no complaints", says Dayanand, Chief Executive of Indus.

He said: "We are ISO-9001 certified and the validity is till 2005 or 2006. But a glance on the company site indusmktg.com revealed that Indus had the certificate, not the product."

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL) Territory Manager, Shanmugham, says this is a common tactic that companies employ for selling imported products.

"They say that since the product is foreign make and of good quality, it does not need more testing by an Indian agency," he said.

BPCL will launch an LPG water heater soon. "We will not make them, only market them through a tie-up with Racold," he says.

A few years ago, natural gas water heaters made in Brazil and sold in the U.S. were recalled from the market after it was found they produced "dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in the exhaust gas, which can cause serious injuries and death". The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission ordered recall of all gas water heaters.

In India, there have been instances of suffocation and hospitalisation, but no death due to release of poisonous gases from these heaters. According to Mr. Shanmugham, such products have to be certified by the Government of India's Department of Explosives "as they deal with LPG". Otherwise, the products need to be ISI-certified.

Mr. Dayanand of Indus says his company's product is safe. If the flame went out unexpectedly during use, gas supply is automatically shut off. Rival products did not have that, he says.

"In this business nobody goes in-depth into certification.

They are more concerned about their margins," he says. And unlike Indus, nobody imported directly from the manufacturers, he added.