Overhead water storage tanks in rural areas will soon be fixed with high-tech equipment for deep cleaning and collect real time data on harmful impurities.
The government has tied up with an Australian firm for the supply of equipment, according to Panchayat Raj, Rural Development and Information Technology Minister Nara Lokesh. It will soon be tested on pilot basis.
Purity parameters
Speaking to The Hindu on procurement of the equipment, Mr. Lokesh said, “We wanted the Australian firm to fix the equipment for pilot testing by January 15. Each unit costs about₹2.5 lakh but we are negotiating on the price.” As per a ballpark calculation, the initiative is likely to cost about ₹700 crore.
There are about 17,000 overhead water tanks in the rural areas in the State and the government is planning to construct 10,000 more.
“Besides remote monitoring, the equipment will give real time data on 60 parameters related to purity and other aspects. For instance, toxic substances such as arsenic and fluoride in the drinking water can easily be identified and cleaned,” said Mr. Lokesh.
The new initiative is expected to be of tremendous use for people in several regions of the State facing problems from pollutants such as fluoride, arsenic, lead, chlorine, mercury, dioxins and DDT, etc.
The State government is understood to be keen on fixing issues such as chronic kidney disease and other related cases in Srikakulam, Prakasam and other districts.
