THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A silent revolution of sorts will take place in the chemistry labs of government higher secondary schools during the coming academic year when they will be used to test the water quality in the panchayat at nominal rates. The testing facility will be made available to the students first and then extended to the public later.
Using the facility, the quality of public and private wells and water bodies in a panchayat can be tested. The Directorate of Higher Secondary Education will also become a partner of the novel initiative conceived by the Haritha Keralam Mission.
“The programme will be launched in all panchayats in the state by June. A government higher secondary school with chemistry lab will be identified in each panchayat for use as water testing facility. The total cost for setting up a single unit is `1.50 lakh. The finances for the same will be sourced from the respective
MLA’s Local Area Development Fund and panchayat’s own fund,” said T N Seema, executive vice-chairperson, Haritha Keralam Mission.
“Most houses have wells. But the chances of them being used as drinking water sources are limited. This is due to the public’s apprehension. By having such a lab facility, this will be addressed,” she said.
The authorities pointed out that the otherwise expensive water testing facility, which costs anywhere between `800 to `1,000, can be made available to the public at nominal rates. According to Seema, to equip the existing chemistry labs for testing water quality, additional facilities like furniture, computers and water analysis test kits will have to be installed.
Meanwhile, Abraham Koshy, consultant, water resources, Haritha Keralam Mission said, “The main purpose of equipping the labs with water testing facility is to prevent the outbreak of waterborne diseases. Well water often gets contaminated due to septic tank or single pit latrines in the neighbourhood. Thus ensuring the quality of well water is a must from a health perspective.”
Koshy said students will become brand ambassadors of the programme and each well will be provided with a health card. “Teachers will have to be given the necessary training. They will then impart the knowledge of water testing to students. A handbook will also be brought out. It will have details of water testing and remedial measures to be adopted in the case of any contamination,” he said.
The training programme which will be arranged after consulting the Directorate of Higher Secondary Education will be held at the labs of health department, groundwater department and Kerala Water Authority. It is learnt that a set of 1,000 strips for water testing will be provided to the selected school and these can be availed free of cost. According to the officials, the nominal charge for water testing can be decided by the respective panchayat.