MALDA, 5 AUG.: The Public Health Engineering (PHE) department has issued guidelines for testing water samples from all water sources including at least once a year, following the guidelines of the National Rural Drinking Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance Programme.
To ensure these tests of water samples and to provide chemical and bacteriological contamination-free drinking water, the PHE had organised a training programme for facilitators who will collect water samples from each gram panchayat. These water samples will be tested in laboratories.
At least 69 new facilitators were present at the training programme yesterday which made a total of 81 facilitators, including old ones. However, out of a total of 117 new facilitators that the Malda Zilla Parishad had selected, only 69 of them had attended the programme yesterday. Though a decent amount of fund was granted from the 12th Finance Commission for running this water test, after the rural polls and formation of the new civic bodies in the three tier panchayat system, the process of selecting facilitators was delayed which in turn halted the water testing process.
According to the guidelines of the Commission, all the costs of upgrading the existing laboratories, setting up of new laboratories and procurement of chemicals will be borne by the government through panchayat samitis. The estimated annual requirement for operation and maintenance of a laboratory at present is Rs 1.75 lakh . In addition, the facilitator will be paid Rs 25 per sample for collecting it and delivering of the test results. The annual requirement of fund is Rs. 87, 500 for the purpose for 3500 number of samples for a laboratory to become sustainable for the present.
“The payment of facilitators will be decided on the basis of the new guidelines published by the government, which is based on the distance covered by them for collecting samples and delivering the test reports. It can be more than Rs 25”, said Mr Swapan Maitra, the executive engineer, PHE Malda division. In Malda, three laboratories are currently working under the supervision of some NGOs. Apart from this, the PHE also has two such laboratories and intends to set up another one soon.
The consolidated water test report will also be sent monthly to the panchayat samitis and to the executive engineer of the PHE department who will in turn send the report to the Zilla Parishad leaving a copy with the PHE department. The Zilla Parishad will send the report to the state water and sanitation cell. On the other hand, gram panchayat will analyse the test results for taking remedial measures wherever necessary and will place the report at the meeting on public health held every Saturday. ;SNS
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