Source : The Hindu Date : 22.06.2009
Mobile water testing lab to be commissioned
R. Vimal Kumar
Photo: M. Balaji
Going hi-tech: The multi-purpose mobile van for testing drinking water and to detect water leaks. —
Tirupur: The corporation will commission the Rs. 15.36-lakh multi-purpose mobile van for testing the quality of drinking water and to locate leaks in water supply lines on June 24.
The van, named ’Blue Brigade’ and embedded with modern gadgets like water leak detector and a water testing laboratory, among others, is undergoing last-minute modifications before it starts rolling through the city roads. City Engineer K. Gautaman told ‘The Hindu’ that the water testing laboratory would be equipped with accoutrements to measure the level of total dissolved solids (TDS), turbidity and hardness at different points of distribution.
“This is to ensure that the residents will have access to high quality drinking water even at the tail-ends of distribution as any increase in TDS and hardness levels beyond the permissible limits set by the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation can lead to gastro intestinal problems and skin irritations,” he said.
Regarding the portable water leak locator in the van, Mr. Gautaman said that it would be useful to locate and pinpoint leaks in buried pipelines, which were otherwise difficult to trace with conventional leak detecting methods. “This instrument comprising variable sensitivity and volume control panels provides both visual and audible indications to detect leak points,” he said.
A salient feature of the leak detector is that its sensitive ground microphone picks up vibrations caused by water leaking from the pipe which are strong and normally in the frequency range of 100 to 800 Hz.
