Shimla, Jan. 6 -- Out of 2,16,382 water samples tested by the Himachal Jal Shakti department, in 2025, only five samples were found unsuitable for consumption, said department's engineer-in-chief Anju Sharma on Monday, adding that the testings were done in the department labs. Sharma shared the information during a review meeting of the department. Sharma shared that as many as 1,71,250 water samples have been tested through Field Testing Kits (FTKs),water samples from 21,392 drinking water sources and 15,611 villages have been tested and 18,784 sanitary surveys of drinking water sources have been conducted in rural areas by the department through Block Resource Coordinators (BRCs), grass root level field teams and Village Water Sanitation Committees(VWSCs). The focus of the meeting was not only on safeguarding drinking water supply schemes being run by the department but also on monitoring of sewerage treatment plants. Secretary of Jal Shakti department Abhishek Jain directed all field officers, from executive engineers to junior engineers, to mandatorily inspect all water sources, including water storage tanks, at least once in ten days. "These inspections are to be properly documented and reported to his office on a regular basis," he said. Taking serious note of leakages of water pipes, Jain issued strict directions to plug them immediately, warning that failure to do so would invite action. He emphasized that Village Water Sanitation Committees should be actively engaged to inspect all types of surface water sources, including local rivulets (khuds), nallahs and streams, as well as spring-based sources. He further directed the activation of Block Resource Persons and field staff to regularly check water quality using Field Test Kits (FTK) already distributed to them. Appealing for public participation, Jain urged people to voluntarily involve themselves in protecting water sources, saying "If residents were not satisfied with sample collection procedures, they are free to submit water samples directly to laboratories for testing." The secretary directed officials to collect samples from water treatment plants to ensure that they are functioning efficiently. He further instructed that inspections of Sewerage Treatment Plants be conducted regularly. Highlighting the importance of source protection, Jain said that preventing contamination at the source was far more cost-effective than large-scale purification and is the only sustainable way to ensure the long-term health of the ecosystem....