other.

The government has already provided field test kits to these women while training of more than 1 lakh women has been completed across the state, including Bundelkhand and Purvanchal among others to run the campaign successfully. The trained women have tested over 70,000 water samples in the villages so far and sent them to the Jal Nigam.

Apart from giving better health to the villagers, this scheme of Jal Jeevan Mission has also opened new avenues of employment for rural women in UP.

The women are being paid Rs 20 per sample testing. The Yogi Government has set the target to train 5 women from each revenue village. Test kits are also being given during the training.

12 types of tests can be done with field test kit

About 12 types of water quality tests can be done with the help of a field test kit. These kits can be used to test the water of taps, wells and hand pumps. In case of excess harmful elements like fluoride and arsenic in drinking water, the Jal Nigam will shut off the water source until the problem is resolved.

As many as 5 women are being selected by the development block level committee in each revenue village of the state. The committee members include— the Development Block Officer, Executive Engineer, Assistant Engineer and Junior Engineer of the concerned district. Consent of women is important during selection.

*Pure water will prevent dental fluorosis, skin diseases*

The doctors informed that due to excessive amount of fluoride in water, dental disease like fluorosis occurs. Long-term exposure to arsenic from drinking water and food can cause cancer and skin lesions. Water testing will save the rural people from such diseases. It will also help protect people from several other deadly diseases caused by the bacteria born in water as well.

Water testing with the use of FTK will protect villagers from diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid, malaria, dengue, skin cancer, fluorosis in teeth, fluorosis of bones, stones in kidney, digestive system and liver related diseases.

*Training completed in revenue villages of 10 districts*

Training of most women has been completed in the revenue villages of Shahjahanpur, Bijnor, Firozabad, Pilibhit, Budaun, Bareilly, Moradabad, Bulandshahr, Ambedkar Nagar and Sambhal. Apart from ensuring adequate supply of safe drinking water in rural areas to protect people’s health, efforts are also being made under the Jal Jeevan Mission to create employment on a massive scale. Meanwhile, training of women is underway in other districts of the state.