Kolkata, Sep 20 (IANS) South Eastern Railway (SER) says it has taken various maintenance, cleaning, testing, and corrective measures to improve the availability and quality of drinking water at stations.
As part of the ongoing initiative, staff are conducting regular inspections of water sources, treatment and filtration plants, underground and overhead water tanks, PVC tanks, water booths, taps, and water-dispensing points across all sections. Of 24,033 water tanks, 14,248 tanks (59.23 per cent) have already been cleaned, an official said.
“To address deficiencies in water-supply infrastructure, 167 locations have been identified for necessary attention. Damaged water tanks, pipelines, and filters at 39 locations are being replaced on a priority basis, while work at 33 locations is currently in progress. Further, pipelines at 81 locations have already been attended to for repair or replacement,” he said.
Special attention is also being paid to water filtration arrangements. Of 55 pressure or gravity filters, 52 have been attended to and cleaned. The filters were thoroughly cleaned to remove accumulated dirt and impurities, and defective filter components and equipment were replaced wherever required. The team also checked the functioning of the filtration arrangements.
“There are 63 chlorination plants across South Eastern Railway, and all of these have been attended to. The chlorination arrangements and associated equipment were inspected, and chlorine dosing was regulated wherever necessary to ensure proper and adequate chlorination of the water supply,” the official noted.
A comprehensive Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) is operational across SER to maintain water coolers and purification units effectively. SER is also carrying out scheduled maintenance and cleaning of water storage tanks monthly. Field staff are taking immediate corrective action to arrest leakage from water coolers, taps, and fittings, thereby reducing wastage.
“Water quality monitoring is being carried out in coordination with the health/medical department. A total of 1,561 water samples for Residual Chlorine Level (RCL), 283 samples for bacteriological testing, and 21 samples for chemical testing have been collected as per the laid-down guidelines/protocol. Regular physical inspection and testing of water, including RCL, bacteriological, and chemical parameters, are being undertaken to ensure the quality and suitability of supplied water,” the official added.
He claimed that continuous preventive inspections cover water sources, treatment and filtration plants, overhead/underground steel, RCC and PVC water tanks, water-supply pipelines, piping systems, and associated components. Water quality monitoring and sample testing, along with inspection of hand pumps and borewell systems, are also being undertaken regularly. Deficiencies identified during inspections are being attended to on a priority basis.
Through regular inspections, preventive maintenance, cleaning, repair and replacement, chlorination, and water quality monitoring across all stations, the Railways are providing safe drinking water to passengers.
Zonal railways started taking measures after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) flagged the quality of water being supplied at stations. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw directed all zones to take adequate corrective measures after the report was published.
–IANS
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