UPSC PRELIMS_POWER PLAY- ENVIRONMENT SERIES ( Drinking water quality testing, monitoring & surveillance)

 

Drinking water quality testing, monitoring & surveillance

The Union Minister of Jal Shaki chairing a Conference of States/ UTs Ministers on Jal Jeevan Mission released the ‘Drinking water quality testing, monitoring & surveillance’ 

Drinking water quality testing, monitoring & surveillance-JJM

• Water testing: It is important for monitoring the Operation of water supply, verification of the safety of drinking water, investigation of disease outbreaks, validation process and preventive measures. Water quality testing tools need to be used for deciding safety of drinking water: at the source; within a piped distribution system; or at the end of the consumer.
• Monitoring: The drinking water quality will be monitored by the PHED/ RWS Department, i.e. supplier/ agency responsible/ mandate for water quality whereas the surveillance of water quality at grass roots will be responsibility of the GPs/ rural community.

Funding: 

• Up to 2% of the allocation to States can be utilized for carrying out WQM&S activities
• All the above activities shall have a funding pattern of 90:10 for NE and Himalayan States and 60:40 for remaining States. The fund sharing pattern for UTs shall be 100:0 between Centre and UT Administration in UTs without legislature and 90:10 for UTS with legislature

Water Quality Monitoring In Quality -Affected Areas under JJM

There may be water sources where the concentration of chemical contaminants is found to be at border line, i.e a little lower than the permissible limit as prescribed in BIS:10500. To ensure that the water supply through FHTC is of prescribed quality, villages using such water sources necessitate periodic monitoring and may be enlisted as ‘hot spots’. The list of such ‘hot spots’ is to be shared by PHED/ RWS Department with SWSM, DWSM and GP.

PHED/ RWS Department is to undertake regular monitoring of water quality of such water sources and water quality surveillance will be done by GP and/ or its sub-committee, i.e. VWSC/Paani Samiti/ User Group, etc. and local community.

JJM – Water Quality Management Information System (WQMIS)

• While chairing the conference he also launched the JJM – Water Quality Management Information System (WQMIS)
• Jal Jeevan Mission has developed the online portal and mobile app on WQMIS in partnership with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

The full automated data management system willtest water samples and help in assuring safe supply of drinking water; and in case of contamination remedial action shall be initiated. For the first time, water quality data will be made available in public domain

Jal Jeevan Mission

Jal Jeevan Mission is envisioned to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India. The programme will also implement source sustainability measures as mandatory elements, such as recharge and reuse through grey water management, water conservation, rain water harvesting. The Jal Jeevan Mission will be based on a community approach to water and will include extensive Information, Education and communication as a key component of the mission.