Ludhiana: Over 60 schools in trouble over contaminated water

Out of 992 government primary schools in the district, 63 failed the water quality tests; some of the affected schools include government primary schools in Kohara, Lakkar Bazar, Sunet, Dhandari Khurd, Hasanpur, Salem Tabri, Jassowal, Ladowal, and Churpur, among others

In a concerning development, the district elementary education department has issued formal notices to 63 government primary schools after water samples collected from their premises failed quality tests. The directive comes after lab reports, received last month, revealed that the drinking water in these schools was unfit for consumption.

Notices were sent to 63 schools, instructing them to treat their water supply and submit fresh reports within 15 days. (Manish/HT)

Out of 992 government primary schools in the district, 63 failed the water quality tests. Some of the affected schools include government primary schools in Kohara, Lakkar Bazar, Sunet, Dhandari Khurd, Hasanpur, Salem Tabri, Jassowal, Ladowal, and Churpur, among others.

District education officer (DEO) elementary Ravinder Kaur confirmed that notices have been sent to all 63 schools, clearly instructing them to treat their water supply and submit fresh reports to their respective block primary education officers within 15 days. “The safety of our students is a top priority. The schools must ensure proper water treatment and hygiene protocols,” she said.

The issue is not limited to primary schools alone. A total of 117 upper primary schools have also been flagged for water quality concerns.

A district-wide order was also issued last month on the directions of the deputy commissioner (DC), instructing all schools to get their water samples tested and to take immediate steps to ensure safe drinking water for students.

Schools were asked to maintain hygiene by regularly cleaning water tanks, chlorinating them, and servicing reverse osmosis (RO) systems and submersible pumps where available. These measures were outlined in the earlier letter issued by the education department as part of an effort to maintain health and safety standards in government institutions.

Davinder Kaur, in charge of the mid-day meal program, said that following the latest directives, the process of water sample collection has already begun in several schools. Block nodal officers have started collecting updated water test reports, which will be compiled and submitted to the DEO in the coming days.