Schools Water Portal and Oracle Education Foundation, Bangalore, are conducting a nationwide water quality testing programme with schools to spread awareness on fluoride contamination in groundwater, said a release.

The programme aimed at sensitising children to the problem that affects Rs. 6.6 crore people in 19 States. Long-term ingestion of excess fluoride in water could lead to dental or skeletal fluorosis.

Children from throughout the country, including Leh, Port Blair, Bhuj, and Itanagar are collecting groundwater samples and testing them for presence of fluoride with 1,500 schools from Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and the Delhi Public School network participating in the programme. Schools Water Portal is collecting data from these 1,500 schools and would display the results on an internet-based map platform. The data would show indicative fluoride levels from throughout the country and from schools participating in the programme.

An additional 100 schools in India, interested in participating, can register before February 15. They will receive a free kit that can test 30 samples of water for the presence of fluoride.

The testing must be done by students of Class VIII and IX and the school should have a basic Chemistry lab. All schools that register must upload test results of at least 20 samples on the Schools Water Portal by February 29.

Schools Water Portal is an online platform that shares learning resources on water with parents, students, educators and the school managements. All content on the portal is available for free download. The portal is a voluntary initiative coordinated by Arghyam, a non-profit organisation started by Rohini Nilekani in 2005.

For details, contact Schools Water Portal, Arghyam, Bangalore, (ph: 08041698941/42) or email schools@indiawaterportal.org or see http://www.schools.indiawaterportal.org/. Schools interested in participating can register at: http://www.schools.indiawaterportal.org/water-quality-kit-registration. All information on the water quality testing programme is at: http://www.schools.indiawaterportal.org/node/828

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