New Delhi, Feb 9 : As many as 2,870 water quality testing laboratories are being operated by government agencies at the state, regional, district, sub-division and block levels, apart from mobile units and Water Treatment Plant (WTP) facility laboratories, the Ministry of Jal Shakti told Rajya Sabha on Monday.

In addition, there are 1,707 accredited and recognised laboratories to conduct water quality tests, Minister of State (MoS) V. Somanna said in a written reply.

He said that to encourage water quality testing to the rural community/public, the states/Union Territories (UTs) have been advised to open their water quality testing laboratories to general public for testing of their water samples at a nominal rate.

In consultation with various stakeholders, 'Concise Handbook for Monitoring Water Quality of Piped Drinking Water Supply to Rural Households', was released in December 2024 for guidance to states/UTs, MoS Somanna added.

The MoS said that under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), to enable states/UTs test water samples for quality, and for sample collection, reporting, monitoring and surveillance of drinking water, an online JJM-Water Quality Management Information System (JJM-WQMIS) portal has been developed.

He added that states/UTs have also been advised to review the existing network of drinking water quality testing laboratories in the state and to strengthen it by setting up/exploring Public-Private Partnership for additional laboratories at various levels in the state.

The MoS said states/UTs have been directed to get their water quality testing laboratories accredited/recognised to ensure the reliability, accuracy, and credibility of the data they produce.

He added that meetings were also held with states/UTs and accreditation bodies with the objective of addressing the concerns/issues faced by states/UTs in accreditation process, including shortage of assessors or delays in accreditation slots.

For enhancing public awareneess, a "Citizen Corner" has been placed on the JJM Dashboard.

The "Citizen Corner" includes display of village level water quality test results in the public domain to further create awareness and build confidence among people about the quality of water supplies through the Public Water System in rural areas.

/IANS