Jal Jeevan Mission launches innovation challenge for portable water testing devices

News: National Jal Jeevan Mission has launched an innovation challenge in partnership with the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade to develop portable devices for water testing.

Aim: The challenge aims to ensure that water sources are tested at various locations, at different levels; thereby, helping the policy framers to design programs that address the water contamination issues.

Need of this challenge: 

• The drinking water supply in rural areas is from both the groundwater (80%) and surface water (20%) sources. However, due to the depleting groundwater level, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, the use of surface water is on the rise.
• For both groundwater and surface water-based rural drinking water supply systems, it is important to measure relevant area-specific contaminations to ensure access to potable water.
• The Uniform Drinking Water Quality Protocol, 2019 has also specified some important parameters to be monitored for assuring portability of drinking water as per BIS IS 10500:2012 and subsequent amendments.