Bengaluru: Learning lessons from last summer and concerned over the possibility of water contamination this summer, the BWSSB has decided to perform regular tests on water samples being supplied to various areas in the city.

Starting next week, the BWSSB will collect four samples of water in each service station every week. Samples will be collected from  ground level reservoirs, public taps and household taps to ensure that water is not contaminated at any stage of distribution.

The BWSSB will perform tests for potability of water in their own laboratories near the High Grounds and the test results will be available within 2 minutes to 7 days depending on the type of the test. Chlorine test can be done on the spot where the sample is collected while the e-coli test will take at least 48 hours.

The city had a major trouble with suspected cases of water contamination last summer. The probability of waterborne diseases increase in summer. The BWSSB was receiving at least 2 complaints of suspected water contamination everyday during last summer and a toddler’s death in Jagajivanramnagar due to suspected water contamination just made the matters worse .

A major problem of the city was that there no BBMP, BWSSB or KSPCB laboratories were willing to take samples for tests and concerned citizens had no affordable way of having water supplied to their houses tested. This year, the BWSSB has taken the initiative of performing tests for quality of water.

The BWSSB conducts physical, chemical and biological tests on raw water when they procure water from reservoirs to the treatment plants at TK Halli and TG Halli. The tests are repeated once the water is treated and ready to be supplied to Bengaluru. Now, the additional tests will ensure that the water is still potable when it reaches the taps in houses.

The physical tests that the BWSSB conducts include colour, odour, turbidity and electrical conductivity and chemical tests check water for pH, residual Chlorine, nitrate, fluoride, hardness, iron, calcium, magnesium, chloride, sulphide, alkalinity etc. Under biological tests, water samples undergo culture test and if it tests positive, e coli tests are done, which range from 48 hours to seven days depending on results of tests at various stages.