MADURAI: The Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD) Madurai division has been testing water samples from borewells, water sources and other places in Madurai district for the past three months.
According to official records, a total of 9,874 water samples were tested in Madurai district between July and September 2024. Among the samples, 802 were collected from schools, 836 from Anganwadis, 2,227 from delivery points, 1,610 functional household tap connection samples and 4,252 from borewells and other water sources.
Speaking to TNIE, Dr A Gurusamy from the department of agronomy, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai, said, "Water samples vary between borewells, even within a small distance of just 200 metres. So, there is a need to collect these samples as one can determine the parameters. The parameters could be due to contamination of leaking sewage lines, corrosive elements and improper plumbing works, among others."
Speaking to TNIE, a top official from TWAD (Madurai) said, “Water sampling is done periodically in all categories. Apart from the distribution and delivery points, including schools, anganwadis and FHTCs, we give importance to the source of the pipe water supply (PWS). Though we give importance to pumping stations in the combined water supply scheme (Vaigai River and Cauvery River), we also take water samples from borewells. The primary need for the analysis of borewell water is to determine any chemical or bacteria parameters and contaminations.”