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Context: Government Based on the sharp shortage of drinking water, the ICD Patparganj & Other ICDs Commissionerate took an initiative under Swachhta project to provide safe drinking water facility to school students under the Project SAJAL, meaning full of water.

Aim: to provide safe drinking water to school students, this will enable the schools to have a nurturing environment for students to have their studies and activities.

• With this goal, 20 government schools are identified in different districts of Sonepat, Panipat, Faridabad, Palwal and Gurugram.
• These schools are located in rural areas with industrial belts where the ground water is contaminated due to industrial discharge and as suggested by the Central Ground Water Board.

Need:

• Central Ground Water Board, in its report in October 2021 on state of ground water in Haryana, has highlighted that the ground water offerings in different districts of Haryana are mostly saline, and not suitable for drinking purposes.
• The report also highlighted that the water has low potable rating as chemical parameters were much higher than permissible limits.
  • The permissible pH limit of drinking water as per BIS 10500 (2012) standard is 6.5 to 8.5.
• However, the pH limit is exceeded beyond 8.5 in most districts, going up to 9.0. Calcium with a permissible limit of 200, as per the BIS standard, is up to 650.
• Magnesium with a permissible limit of 100, as per the BIS standard, is up to 700.
• Chloride with a permissible limit of 1000, as per the BIS standard, is up to 5000. So, considering the salinity and dissolved solids and chemicals beyond permissible limits, the ground water is not safe for drinking.

What will be done?

• For this enablement, two technologies are identified – Reverse Osmosis (RO) to lower dissolved solids within permissible limits and Water Cooler to provide drinking water during hot summer months when temperature exceeds 40 degrees Celsius in Haryana.
• In the RO process, the feed water enters the RO membrane under pressure, the water molecules pass through the semi-permeable membrane and the salts and other contaminants are not allowed to pass and usually more than 95% of the dissolved salts are removed from it.
• The RO removes common pollutants from water including nitrates, lead pesticides, sulfates, fluoride, bacteria, pharmaceuticals, arsenic, chlorine and chloramines. RO filtration improves taste, odor and appearance of water by removing contaminants.
• This facility will nurture students’ health, helping their complete development in a clean environment.

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1820170

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