Jyoti Patale
During the Agroecology workshop held in Bankuda, West Bengal, from June 10th to 12th 2024 Soumik Banerjee (Consultant, Eastern India Initiative) conducted a session on monitoring water sources for a group of Community Resource Persons (CRPs). These CRPs were provided with water testing kits and trained on using various instruments and maintaining a register for their findings from regular monitoring of selected village water sources.
After receiving the training, Inda Jamuda community resource person (Eastren India project) began testing water in his villages in West Singhbhum, Jharkhand. In the villages of Mamar, Banua, and Churagi, Inda introduced the water testing instruments to the youth and community members. He organized meetings to discuss water resources and demonstrated how to use testing equipment such as TDS meters, pH paper, and H2S vials.
Inda, along with two other CRPs, Seeta and Rupan, trained 20 youths from three villages on these procedures. They collected water samples from various sources like rivers, hand pumps, and wells from different villages and conducted tests. The results, including pH levels, TDS meter readings, and H2S vial outcomes, were recorded in a register. They explained the meaning of the readings to the community members, helping them understand the quality of their water sources. We learned how to use different instruments to test the water,” said Inda. “This knowledge is valuable for assessing water sources in our village and taking action to improve water quality.”
