ORDA’s Regional Water Quality Test Laboratory becomes functional
By Fasil Wolde Michael
It is disclosed that ORDA’s Regional Water Quality Test Laboratory equipped with digital, new and portable technologies became functional.
Shegaw Fentaye, Hygiene and Sanitation Officer in the Water Resource Development Program and who is now temporarily coordinating the Laboratory, disclosed that its digital equipment made it to have distinctive qualities in providing more accurate and precise results, in applying rapid, simple and inexpensive test methods, to overcome significant cost constraints through conducting on-site testing using portable equipment and the development of alternative and simplified test methods. He also added that the Laboratory will serve as a regional training center on water quality testing.
The rationales behind the establishment of the Laboratory, among other things, are to ensuring safe drinking water constructed by ORDA, adopting precautionary measures, influencing government and other WASH actors to supply safe water, and creating suitable situation for GO’s and university researchers to use the Laboratory for water quality testing, Shegaw stressed.
With close to 300 thousand budget support secured from the Plan International Ethiopia, the Laboratory has been established, the Officer noted.
He said that safe drinking water should have microbiological (bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and worms), chemical (minerals, metals and chemicals) and physical (temperature, color, smell, taste and turbidity) qualities and ORDA’s Regional Water Quality Laboratory would enable to make these tests.
The Officer pointed out that the Laboratory tests water quality parameters with a minimum of a minute and a maximum of 14 Hours.
The Laboratory conducted 288 Physical, Chemical and Bacteriological water quality parameter tests for 18 water supply projects in Bugna, Lasta and Dangla as well as made mitigation and corrective actions to ensure their safe water supply provision, Shegaw reported.
Previously, ORDA was outsourcing water quality tests in Bahir Dar for different water supply schemes while constructed and handed over for communities, which contributed for the betterment of the livelihood of over millions of beneficiaries, Gugsa Meshesha, the Director of the Water Resource Development Program in ORDA, noticed.
Gugsa also disclosed that a system will be set up soon to provide water quality test services with a minimum cost for any interested individual or group or organization within and outside the region.
The Director also stated that delegates of a number of donors including East Africa German Agro Action (GAA), Plan International Ethiopia and Food for Hunger Ethiopia (FHE) have visited and appreciated the Laboratory, and expressed their interest to further strengthen its overall operation through providing equipment and financial support.
In a bid to enable the Laboratory to provide water quality test service maintaining its international standard, it is imperative for ORDA to address a number of issues including organizing it with adequate manpower, equip with additional test kits and fulfill other inputs that can ensure its operational efficiency, Gugsa contended.