New Delhi (NVI): 2,000 laboratories have been opened across the country for the general public for testing their water samples at a nominal rate under Jal Jeevan Mission, the Ministry of Jal Shakti said in a statement today.
Anyone can give water samples and source coordinates of piped water supply will also be captured, under the initiative.
In addition to this, an online Drinking Water Quality Monitoring & Surveillance system with its App has also been launched.
The water quality testing reports are now generated and delivered online to person giving water sample, to the concerned Public Health Engineer and also in the Central database for continuous monitoring & remedial action.
Thus, modernisation of PHEDs/Boards/Nigams is taking place, to make them true utilities. “My all colleagues from various States/UT’s PHEDs/Board/Nigams and National JJM team are making history. Its one of those kind of change, which is likely to change the sector forever,” Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was quoted as saying by the Ministry.
“We have launched a campaign encouraging people to get their water samples tested as well as our field enginners/VWSC members also getting water samples tested and data updated. We are pushing this activity hard and in next one/two weeks, it will be stabilised/standardised,” he was quoted as saying in an official statement.
The Minister further said that the Jal Shakti Ministry has also started monitoring the efficiency of its labs – number of tests they perform and how much time they take to complete the test including reporting time. “It has to be an improvement over CoVid-19 testing. We have taken help from ICMR and NIC in developing the IT backbone,” he said.
“We are trying to change the drinking water sector and trying to make our utilities comparable to utilities in Europe and other developed world,” the Minister added.
-ARK
