Tamil Nadu - Salem   

Schools get water purifiers for safe drinking water

— Photo: E. Lakshmi Narayanan

A Government High School at Alagapuram Periya Pudur in Salem is given water purifier under SSA programme.

SALEM: Many of the schools, both primary and high schools, have been given water purifiers to ensure students have safe drinking water.

The scheme is being implemented under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in a majority of 1,721 primary, middle, high and higher secondary schools in the district to save the school-going children from water-borne diseases.

A senior SSA official told The Hindu that a sum of Rs. 5,000 for primary, Rs. 12,000 for middle and Rs. 7,000 for both high and higher secondary schools were sanctioned.

“For high and higher secondary schools, one or more purifiers could be purchased and installed based on the students' strength,” he said.

A maintenance charge of Rs. 5,000 per annum also would be given.

While many schools had been prompt in maintaining the water purifiers, a few schools had neither bought nor maintained them properly. A middle school in Kondalampatti had the purifier but did not have the provision for water supply to the school itself.

A school teacher said that the scheme, though laudable, could not be implemented totally in schools in villages since many of them did not have basic amenities such as water supply.

Priority

“It will be of more use if they accord priority to providing such basic needs,” he pointed out. But the official claimed that the scheme was well received by many.

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