Patiala’s water testing laboratory is capable of detecting heavy metals in water-Binakshi
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in
The Multi District Water Testing Laboratory set up at Patiala is proving to be a boon for water testing with the objective of providing clean and safe drinking water to the citizens of the state. Established in 1964, it is the third such laboratory in the state where drinking water can be tested in a state-of-the-art manner. Capable of testing 300 water samples per month with latest machines, the laboratory has tested more than 7,000 water samples in the last two years.
This state-of-the-art laboratory housed in the head office building of the Water Supply and Sanitation Department Punjab on Nabha Road tests all kinds of water contaminants. The water testing machines equipped here including ion chromatographers, atomic observation spectophotometers, turbidity meters, pH. Meters, ion meters, UV Spectometers etc. are capable of detecting any contamination of drinking water.
Water samples from overhead water supply tanks being constructed in villages and cities, tubewells being installed, drinking water used in public and private schools, colleges, universities, hospitals and other public places are tested here regularly to check for serious water borne diseases.
Binakshi Sharma, Quality Manager of the lab said that the laboratory is capable of detecting heavy metals found in water such as a Arsenic, Aluminum, Lead, all kinds of bacteria etc. Deputy Quality Manager Brij Bhushan said that apart from checking the turbidity of the water, the turbidity of the water, pH Level, TDS, Total Alkalinity, Total Hardness, Calcium, Magnesium, Chlorides, Nitrate, Sulphate, Iron, Residual Chlorine, Arsenic, Magnesium, Zinc etc. tests done in the lab.
According to Brij Bhushan, the lab also tests the wastewater treated at the sewage treatment plant so that it does not pollute the river water. He said that after testing the water here if the quality of water is not fit for drinking then the source of water can be changed to save the human beings from water borne diseases, hence this lab is proving to be a boon for water testing.
February 6,2021
