WHO mandate for Neeri helps NMC get expertise in clean water supply

TheNagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has always been making isolated efforts to ensure quality drinking water for citizens, but nothing concrete materialised due to the piece meal effort. Now, the city-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (Neeri), which was recognised as one of 13 collaborating centres for water and sanitation in the world by the World Health Organisation (WHO) about a fortnight back, has plans to chalk out an extensive 'safe water plan' for Nagpur. This will set an example for other cities. Neeri and NMC have already put their heads together for this plan, which is expected to be in place by the year-end.


Neeri had been known as a referral centre for water from 1981-90 for the country, but it is for the first time that WHO has recognised the institute as the third centre after Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand, and National Institute of Public Health, Japan, in Asia, and 13th in the world as a step towards better water quality for better health.


Speaking to TOI, Neeri director Satish Wate said WHO would be providing financial support to Neeri to deliver its expertise to municipal corporations and other implementing agencies. "We plan to evolve a tailor-made as well as a general water quality surveillance plan for cities to monitor leakages, contaminations and other causes of water pollution which affect the health of people. In this project particularly, WHO will fund the study, NMC will provide logistics and Neeri will use its knowledge base and expertise," said Wate.


Head of water technology and management division of Neeri, Pawan Labshetwar, said that though the institute would be considering both chemical and bacterial contaminants and points of leakages and pilferage as main factors, it will basically assess the entire water supply system from the water source (Pench) to consumers at different places, and then devising a new water safety plan.


Neeri will also be preparing an annual work plan for the city. "The three agencies; WHO, Neeri and NMC, have already held a meeting on the issue. We have also sent a proposal to WHO. Once the nod comes, the ground work will begin by February," he said.


Neeri will use a mixture of all kinds of technologies, from manual detection of leakages and contaminants to high-end techniques like ground penetrating radar for assessing the entire chain of risk factors that can affect the water quality. With the city's 24X7 water supply plan already being implemented successfully in selected areas, Neeri's safe water plan is likely to give a fillip to good water quality and minimise health hazards caused due to waterborne diseases.