‘Nagaland State laboratories significantly failed to carry out prescribed contamination tests’
Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 23
The Nagaland State Department of Public Health Engineering (PHE) has failed to abide by certain prescribed safety requirements for safe drinking water with regard to the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP). This was stated in the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) for the year ending March 31, 2017.
Among the several irregularities detected in the implementation of the programme, the CAG found that state and district level laboratories did not carry out water quality tests as mandated.
The CAG ascertained that the laboratories had “significantly failed” in carrying out the prescribed number of bacteriological and chemical contamination tests in the three districts to ensure the supply of safe drinking water to the populace in their districts.
NRDWP guidelines require that all drinking water sources should be tested at least twice a year (pre and post monsoon) for bacteriological contamination and once a year for chemical contamination. It further prescribes that a system should be put in place for continuously checking the quality of data produced by laboratories.
While examining records, the CAG found that Nagaland’s 11 water testing laboratories were not accredited to the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) as required.
It was further revealed that the state laboratory in Dimapur was set up in 2016-17 to carry out the review of normal drinking water quality parameters only. Against 78 parameters required for conducting water quality tests, the state laboratory had facility for conducting tests for only 12 parameters.
As per NRDWP guidelines, the record of quality control tests is to be updated regularly on the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS). The CAG, however, observed that the IMIS data did not contain data on results of water quality control tests.
In three selected district laboratories, the audit observed that neither did the IMIS contain any information regarding results of samples tested in the laboratories nor records relating to water quality test results conducted by these laboratories were furnished to audit.
“There was no way to gauge the extent of contamination and remedial action taken, if any,” the CAG noted. In the course of their audit, the CAG found that from 2012-17, a total of 21,950 water samples from 2,195 water sources were required to be tested by the Dimapur district laboratory for bacteriological contamination. However, not a single test was conducted during the period.
Further, against the prescribed 10,975 tests for ascertaining chemical contamination in 2,195 water sources, the laboratory had conducted only 258 tests or 2.35%.
In Kohima, the district laboratory was required to test a total of 28,160 water samples from 2,816 water sources during 2012-17 for bacteriological contamination. The laboratory had conducted only 209 or 0.74% of such tests. The laboratory was also required to test 14,080 water samples for chemical contamination, against which it conducted only 1429 such tests or 10.14%.
Citing another example, the CAG informed that Tuensang district laboratory was required to test a total 24,080 water samples during 2012-17 from 2,408 water sources for bacteriological contamination, against which only 188 tests or 0.78% were done. Further, of the 12,040 required tests for chemical contamination, only 608 such tests or 5.05% were conducted.
The CAG also found that 187 out of 188 samples tested during 2012-17 were found bacteriologically contaminated in Tuensang district. For Kohima district, the corresponding figure was 8 (3.83%) out of 209 samples. And no bacteriological tests were carried out by the Dimapur district laboratory during 2012-17.
Meanwhile, 79.84% (206 out of 258 samples) tested positive for chemical contamination in Dimapur district; the corresponding figures for Kohima and Tuensang districts were 32.19% and 11.35% respectively. The CAG noted that as per the figures, the extent of bacteriological and chemical contamination of water sources in the three districts was high.
Discrepancies in distribution of Field Testing Kits
NRDWP guidelines require that Field Testing Kits (FTKs) should be used for primary detection of chemical and bacteriological contamination of all drinking water sources in the villages. At least five persons in each village are required to be trained and their services utilised for surveillance.
The CAG found that 4,854 chemical and 2,43,383 bacteriological kits costing Rs 1.32 crore was procured during 2012-17. While the department stated that FTKs were distributed to villages after providing training to VWSC members to handle the kits, the CAG however noted that the details of the distribution and the training programmes conducted were not furnished by the department.
During beneficiary survey, representatives of Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) in 13 out of the 24 villages stated that FTKs were not provided and water tests in the villages were not carried out during 2012-17. “This indicated that the distribution of FTKs to all villages was doubtful as also the training on their use,” the CAG observed.
