PUNE: A State-level water quality testing laboratory will be set up at Vadgaon Budruk which will act as an apex lab in Maharashtra. It will be built by Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) and handed over to Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency (GSDA).

The Water Supply and Sanitation Department issued a Government Resolution (GR) on September 11, stating that Rs 7.80 crore has been allocated for the state-level lab under the ‘Jalswarajya-2’ programme for the ‘Strengthening Water Quality Checking Laboratory’.

“There are 170 district-level and six divisional laboratories for checking the quality of portable drinking water. They check the chemical and biological aspects of the water. This new State-level lab will be the referral lab for the entire State and will have advanced machinery which will be only available here,” said an official from GSDA.

“There is biological and chemical contamination in drinking water, especially after the monsoon. GSDA labs in the State help in testing the contamination in drinking water. This new laboratory will have advanced machinery which will also help in checking whether there are any components of pesticides and heavy metals,” the official added.