Karimnagar: Testing kits to test water quality in rural areas

Karimnagar: In order to supply safe and protected drinking water to the people in rural areas, the Mission Bhagiratha wing has begun efforts and are supplying water testing kits to gram panchayats.

Chloroscope (Chlorine test) kits are being supplied to each and every gram panchayat to test the quality of water before supplying it to people.

Twenty years ago, the then government had supplied water quality testing kits to gram panchayats. However, they went waste as bill collectors and staffers did not utilize them due to lack of awareness.

Now, the government has decided to test water quality following the incidents of leakages in pipelines and water contamination due to unhygienic conditions in water tanks that are reported frequently, Mission Bhagiratha department sources said.

The sources said people were infected by diseases as water was now being supplied directly from hand-pumps and borewells. Moreover, there was a possibility for water contamination following the depletion of the groundwater table in the summer season.

So, the government has decided to test the quality of water by using testing kits. Besides supplying kits, training is also being given to gram panchayat staff to educate them about the operation of kits. If there is any difference in the quality of water, they would alert Mission Bhagiratha officials.

According to department statistics, a total of 1,212 kits will be distributed to different gram panchayats of Karimnagar-301, Jagtial-387, Peddapalli-266 and Rajanna-Sircilla-258. While some of them have already been handed over, a few of them are to be distributed soon.

Mission Bhagiratha officials said that in order to supply safe drinking water to people, water testing kits are being supplied to gram panchayats besides educating the staff about the utilization of kits. They are also monitoring the testing process.