In an attempt to assess the quality of water supplied by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) in the city, Environmental Management and Policy Research Institute (EMPRI) is preparing a water safety plan by testing the water.
The project will be funded by the Centre for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning.
According to sources, EMPRI has started collecting water samples from different locations starting from Nettkal Balancing Reservoir, from where water is sourced to Bangalore, till it reaches consumer points in Bharatinagar and Ulsoor wards.
EMPRI is collecting samples from both residential and commercial consumers.
The samples will be tested on various parameters, including turbidity, chlorine, bacterial contamination, lead, fluoride, different chemical contaminations and iron at the Mines and Geology Department’s laboratory. Besides assessing the water quality,
EMPRI will also make suggestions to improve the quality of water.
BWSSB engineer-in-chief T Venkatraju said, “EMPRI has entered into an MOU with us to assess the water quality and prepare a water safety plan. One of our officials will coordinate with them. Though we regularly test the water, we do not collect water samples from consumer points and assess the quality. This project will help us do that, besides helping us understand the measures to be undertake to improve the quality of water.”
EMPRI director general Ritu Kakkar said that they have nearly finished collecting water samples and will soon prepare a report.