CSIO develops water pollution testing system

Chandigarh, April 24

With heavy presence of pollutants in water due to increasing industrialisation and anthropogenic activities becoming a cause of concern, the Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO) here has developed a portable “integrated optical system” for field detection of major water pollutants such as arsenic, nitrates and fluoride.

The system can be deployed in varied urban, rural and industrial settings for detection and monitoring of these chemical pollutants in ground water, waste water, river water and industrial effluents. These pollutants are known to cause fluorosis (dental, skeletal and non-skeletal), arsenosis, cancer and blue-baby syndrome on consumption beyond permissible limit.

Prof RK Sinha, CSIO director, said the availability of such a system would reduce dependence on laboratory-based expensive equipment used by state and private testing labs for monitoring of these pollutants before consumption and identifying its source of origin so as to facilitate government bodies for strict regulation and remedial actions. — TNS