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One and half year on, PHE establishes just 3 out of 29 proposed water testing labs
12/22/2014 11:34:45 PM
Nitesh Sangral
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Dec 22: The Public Health Engineering (PHE) department has failed to establish 26 out of 29 proposed water testing labs more than one and a half year since deadline for establishment of same expired.
Sources informed Early Times that Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Government of India had issued directions to Jammu and Kashmir Public Health Engineering (JKPHE) to establish Water Testing Laboratories at Sub division Level and also made them functional within two months of issuance of guidelines.
"The Union Ministry had issued guidelines on May 8, 2013 and the laboratories were proposed to be completed by July, 8, 2013 but after lapse of nearly one and half year, only three laboratories have been completed and work on twenty six remaining is on snail's pace", sources said.
Official data revealed that the establishment of Water Testing laboratories at sub division level was made mandatory by Union government, keeping into consideration the fact that nearly 66 percent of Jammu and Kashmir population had been consuming contaminated water.
"More than five lakh households get untreated tap water from untreated water sources in the state. 12, 88,451 households which comprise 63.9 percent of population in the State have access to tap water. Out of which, 6, 99,173 households which comprised 34.7 percent of population consumed tap water from the treated sources, while 5, 89,278 households comprising 29.2 percent of the population got tap water from untreated sources," data has revealed.
Sources further said that despite such grim situation, the state PHE department failed to complete the construction works.
Moreover, each Sub-Divisional laboratory, sources said, shall be under obligation to conduct at least three thousand tests every year and the reports of the tests conducted during the month of April by the laboratories be got mailed to the concerned head office immediately.
The work on the establishment of water testing laboratories was started in 2013 but it couldn't meet the deadline due to casual approach of concerned administration and slow pace of construction work.
They further said that the same work would take atleast two more years, by the existing pace of work.
When contacted Chief Engineer of PHE, Jammu Sushil Aima said that the department had targeted to complete 29 laboratories in 2013-14 but presently only three have been established. He attributed delay on completion of laboratories on floods and two times elections as well as delay in release of funds.
"During imposition of Model Code of Conduct the department was unable to do anything," he said, adding that remaining laboratories would be completed upto March 31, 2015.
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