Tripura gets Rs 70.09 lakh to monitor water quality

Agartala, Aug 23 (UNI) Tripura has recieved Rs 70.09 lakh as first instalment of the provisional grant of Rs 89.78 lakh for water monitoring and surveillance activities this fiscal.

Official sources here today said the Centre had allocated the funds under National Rural Drinking Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance Programme during 2007-08.

The Centre had initiated several strategies to improve the drinking-water quality and evolved nitrate-preventive measures like reducing the use of chemical fertilisers, sources said.

Besides, the Centre is also taking measures to control leaching of sewage pollution.

The problems pertaining to iron, salinity and other causes had to be tackled through local solutions based on surface water harvesting, in-situ dilution and recharge techniques, official sources said.

There was also an element of sustainability inbuilt into the project to monitor the variations in quantity and quality of water as a result of dilution due to rainwater harvesting, officials added.

Official reports stated that 6,777 habitations of Northeastern states, including 2,931 of Tripura, were identified as having excess of fluoride, nitrate, iron and arsenic, which had emerged as major threats to the region.

Assam had highest contaminated water sources in the region with 28,181 habitations followed by Tripura with 2,931 habitations.

UNI