Get water tested before you drink from lab on PAU campus

Manav Mander
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, August 4
With the rainy season going on, the threat of water-borne diseases looms large. Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh has directed the Health, Local Bodies, Rural Development and Panchayat departments recently to work in tandem for the prevention and containment of water-borne diseases. The number of patients complaining about diseases such as diarrhoea, gastroenteritis has increased and nowadays, 15 to 16 patients are being reported daily at the Civil Hospital and children are the worst affected lot.

PHPTC running lab since 2022
Not many people are aware that the Punjab Horticultural Postharvest Technology Centre (PHPTC) on the PAU campus is running a drinking water testing laboratory since 2022 and anyone can visit the lab and get their samples tested.

Water testing kits
Water testing kits are also available with the PAU’s Department of Microbiology, which is regularly involved in microbial testing of drinking water. Water samples can be either brought to the lab for testing at Rs 100 per sample and the report can be collected after 48 hours.

Water testing plays a crucial role during monsoon and experts have suggested to get drinking water tested, especially during the rainy season. Though the Health Department and Municipal Corporation keep collecting water samples for testing, city residents can get the samples tested on their own. One option is to buy water testing kits that are available at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and also in the market and the other is to get the samples tested from lab.
Not many people are aware that the Punjab Horticultural Postharvest Technology Centre (PHPTC) on the PAU campus is running a drinking water testing laboratory since 2022 and anyone can visit the lab and get their samples tested.
Dr BVC Mahajan, Director, PHPTC, said the laboratory was accredited by the NABL for elemental and heavy metal analysis in drinking water as per ISO 17025:2017. It was proficient to test drinking water as per international standard regulations.
Dr Ritu Tandon, chemist and In-charge of the laboratory, said the testing in the laboratory helps to monitor the safety of drinking water which was a major concern of health and hygiene of residents. The laboratory had the facility to test heavy metals, essential and trace elements and other requisite parameters, including microbiology, in drinking water as well as ETP, STP, CETP water for agricultural use. The Municipal Corporation, Health Department, schools or any government or private agencies could avail this testing facility at nominal costs.
Besides drinking water, the laboratory has the facility to test fresh and processed food commodities for various quality parameters. New start-ups and entrepreneurs can use these facilities to fulfil nutritional labelling requirements of their products, as per FSSAI regulations.
In addition to it, water testing kits are available with the PAU’s Department of Microbiology, which is regularly involved in microbial testing of drinking water. Water samples can be either brought to the lab for testing at Rs 100 per sample and the report can be collected after 48 hours. If frequent visits are not feasible in case of remote areas, water kits can be purchased from the department at Rs 30 (one kit per sample) for testing water quality at home.
Many people buy water testing kits during kisan melas. Developed in 2015, an Indian patent entitled ‘Method for Water Testing and Water Testing Kit’ has been granted to it.
Besides the PAU, water testing kits are also available in the market in the price range of Rs 300 to Rs 1,000.
The Municipal Corporation is providing water to residents through 1,200 tube wells. Dosing meters have been installed for chlorination on about 350 tube wells since it is not possible to install dosing meters on these installed in the open as there is a risk of theft of the meter and it could also be tampered with. Since all MC tube wells were linked with each other, chlorination of 350 tube wells would keep the water clean.