Facing flak over absence of water purification systems in its schools, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NMC) has decided to install water coolers and purifiers there. A proposal for installing the water purification system has been approved by the House of NMC.
As per the proposal, the civic body will procure 1,000 water coolers and purifiers at the cost of Rs 6.25 crore. "The process has been initiated for the installation. The entire system will be put in place within two months," said Ram Kishan Bansiwal, Chairman of the Education Committee of the corporation.
The Pioneer had, on July 20, reported the lack of potable water in NMC schools.
The NDMC has 584 school buildings and 39 are under construction. "All these schools will be equipped with water coolers and purifiers. Water coolers will have the capacity to cool 150 litres per hour, while the purifier will be able to clean at the rate of 3 litres per minute," said the proposal. As of now, there is no mandatory provision for installation of water coolers and water purifiers in the schools.
The absence of pure drinking water had come to the notice of authorities during inspections of mid-day meals in these schools. It was observed that the students were forced to drink water stored in dirty tanks.
Officials said that the water tanks in these schools are hardly cleaned and the water stored in them is unfit for consumption. What is more shocking is that the water samples from these schools are not tested regularly.