Each monsoon season rings in water borne diseases as various types pollutants gets mixed in the water resulting in the spread of various types endemic diseases. And to curb the trend, the Himachal Pradesh government has issued directions to all schools to aware children about the need to use safe drinking water.

The state Education Department has issued these directions with the view to aware guide and sensitizes students on the hazards of drinking unsafe or untreated water.

“There is drought like situation in the state due to long dry spell and if rainfall occurs after a long dry spell, it may also bring with itself various types of water pollutants causing water borne disease.

Therefore, to control and prevent these diseases to a larger extent, all schools have been directed to guide and sensitize the students regularly in the morning assembly for taking precautionary and preventive measures,” Joint Director of Higher Education Amarjeet Kumar Sharma said.

Sharma said all the school students should be advised to bring boiled drinking water from their homes as far as possible and they may be advised to use chlorinated water for drinking.

“The school authorities have been directed to give priority to these instructions so as to spread awareness on water borne diseases ahead of upcoming monsoon season in the state,” he said.

Further, all heads of educational institutions have been instructed to remain in touch with Irrigation and Public Health Department and all other concerned departments so that pure and safe drinking water is made available to the students in the state.

The schools authorities have also been asked to clean the water tank regularly (after every 2-3 months), he said, adding the students would also be spread the message of keeping water catchment areas clean as it might lead to contamination of water, resulting in outbreak of water borne diseases.

“In addition, the school authorities have been asked to install the water filters, preferably Ultraviolet in the school to the students as well as staff and properly treated water with bleaching powder/chlorine tablets should be made available in the each school,” he added.