TWAD to train women SHG members in village panchayats across T.N. to test water samples for this fiscal

Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD) will soon engage nearly 62,625 women self-help group members to test water quality in many village panchayats across the State for this fiscal. The women would be trained to test water samples using field water testing kits.

The Board now provides nearly 2,286 million litres of drinking water (mld) to various parts of the State except Chennai and some of the local bodies that have their own water distribution systems.

Officials of the TWAD said women SHG members in 12,525 villages would be trained to carry out the water quality tests, particularly concentration of residual chlorine and pH, in drinking water supplied by TWAD. Moreover, the Board also periodically tests water samples for about 20 water quality parameters, including total dissolved solids, turbidity and fluoride, through its 112 labs across the State located at district and block levels.

“We have been training different groups of SHG members in the village panchayats to carry out field tests of piped water supply for the past three years. Five SHG members from each village will be chosen for the training. They are also required to test samples in schools and anganwadis,” said a senior official. Last year, nearly 9.12 lakh water samples were tested by women SHGs in the State. The test results would help in ensuring potable water supply, particularly to rural habitations. TWAD would also incorporate the findings of the groundwater quality to chalk out new combined water supply schemes like the second phase of Hogenakkal drinking water scheme.

Officials said the TWAD labs also lift groundwater samples apart from water supplied through TWAD network. On average, labs test about 84,000 samples every month and the results are updated on the Jal Jeevan Mission’s Water quality management information system website. “We have now increased the rural water supply to 55 litres per capita per day (lpcd) and increasing household tap connections through schemes under JJM,” said an official.

The extensive water quality tests and monitoring of groundwater quality through 1,286 observation wells in Tamil Nadu facilitate water source selection for water distribution schemes and address specific drinking water issues in various districts.

For instance, schemes are being devised to address water needs of Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts that have high concentration of fluoride in groundwater, iron concentration in Salem and salinity in coastal region, including Ramanathapuram and Nagapattinam, officials added.