DJB to set up lab for disaster mgmt

New Delhi: Delhi Jal Board has decided to set up a disaster management lab where it will keep a tab on water quality, especially in case of emergencies like terrorist attacks, to neutralise threat to the city's drinking water supply.
The water utility will also increase monitoring and testing of treated water and sewage by setting up more labs.
The decisions were taken during a meeting between the lab staff association and water minister Kapil Mishra on Thursday.The association had threatened to go on strike if their demands of better quality control were not met.
The disaster management lab will have a research and development wing and a special training department for water and sewage testing. "This one of its kind lab will be equipped to detect threats like virus or bacteria and chemical contamination," said Sanjay Sharma, an association member.
Also, monitoring labs at all 42 sewage treatment plants will be set up. Currently, only 12 have labs and monitoring is done every eight hours or so, and in several cases even less frequently. Sharma had earlier indicated about untreated sewage getting released into the Yamuna.
Labs will also be set up in all 13 districts. While around 325 samples of drinking water are picked up for testing each day, it will increase to 1,100 once the labs are in place. Reserve chemical analysis will be started in sewers to determine the source of pollution, while 13 mobile labs will be acquired to test water samples for specific complaints in front of the complainant. The details will then be put up on the website.