City to get hi-tech water testing lab

Tribune News Service

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Amritsar, February 7

The government has spent estimated amount of Rs584.86 lakh on establishing hi-tech laboratory in the holy city. Jaswinder Singh Chahl, senior engineer of water supply, said in this sum building costs Rs232.86 lakh and equipment costs Rs352.00 lakh. He said there are only three state-level laboratories in Punjab i.e. hi-tech multi-district laboratory Amritsar, trade water effluent and amp, research unit Patiala and regional advance water testing laboratory SAS Nagar.

He said that hi-tech multi-district water testing laboratory directly impacts Amritsar and neighbour districts in northern region of Punjab.

While describing the highlights of this laboratory Chahl said it is fully capable to conduct the testing of heavy metals in water like arsenic, aluminum, lead and cadmium. He said that it can also conduct tests regarding bacteriological parameters like presence of coliform in potable water. “Also, it is capable of conducting waste water parameters like Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Dissolved Oxygen (DO),” he added. Beside this, it can also cater the basic chemical parameters and cations and anions of potable water. Laboratory has a capacity to conduct 1,200 samples per month.

Talking about the impact on public drinking water system, Singh said primarily it caters to the need of water testing of various water supply schemes of DWSS, regularly conducts water testing of various government departments such as Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Punjab Mandi Board and the MC. He said all schools, colleges, universities, hospital or households can utilise the facility.