As summer sets in, panchayat staff to test water samples across K'taka

WITH the harsh summer setting in, the state government will soon issue an order to all chief executive officers of zilla panchayats to instruct gram panchayats within their jurisdictions to carry out a special campaign to test drinking water across the state.

- ASHWINI M SRIPAD @ Bengaluru

The state has around 6,000 gram panchayats and their employees have been trained to conduct field tests. They check the water quality for 12 parameters -- potential of hydrogen (PH), chloride, fluoride, iron, nitrate, alkalinity, residual chlorine and total dissolved solids. The hydrogen sulfide test too is conducted to check the presence of bacteria.