Water quality monitoring, surveillance and safety

UNOPS ensured 100% testing of drinking water sources in its project villages by training 615 women for water quality testing in focused villages for testing water quality using a field test kit. 615 member accounts were created on Ejalshakti (government e-portal) and they submitted their test results on WQMIS (Water Quality Management Information System) portal.

The outcomes lead to collective realization of risks associated with different sources and related water usage. In case of bacteriological contamination there was a collective realization that people in the village are drinking fecal parts mixed in water. As the tests are demonstrated in public view, it created a sense of disgust and triggered immediate collective action for remedial measures such as boiling water before use and addition of chlorine and bleaching powder to ensure safe use by all. If chemical contamination was observed, the samples were sent for further lab testing to district administration and followed up.