Jal-TARA is a cost effective, portable, compact and easy to operate water testing kit developed by Development Alternatives. The kit can be used to perform basic tests to ensure 

water potability. Jal-TARA has been designed for concerned citizens, NGOs, students and public authorities to actively participate in monitoring of water quality and protect our scarce fresh water sources from getting polluted. The kit is being extensively used for water quality monitoring in the CLEAN-India programme. It is an effective tool that enables students to put into practice in real life conditions, the theoretical aspects of chemistry that are learnt in the classroom. This empowers them to learn more about the quality of the environment and use their findings to create or demand solutions. Features of Jal-TARA water testing kit:

Jal-TARA Water Testing Kit

• The kit can test 14 essential parameters for drinking water and river water quality. The tests are broadly classified as Physical, Chemical, and biological including coliform bacteria (responsible for causing water borne diseases).
• Physical    - pH, Temperature, Turbidity
• Chemical  - Fluoride, Chloride, Residual Chlorine, Hardness, Iron, Phosphate, Ammonia, Nitrate, Dissolved Oxygen
• Biological - Coliform Bacteria, Benthic Diversity
  
• Accuracy of testing - tests are based on conventional laboratory methods. The kit provides quantitative as well as semi-quantitative results.
  It provides quantitative test for hardness, chloride, dissolved oxygen and temperature.
  Semi-quantitative tests using colour comparison charts are used for the remaining parameters.
  Standards prescribed by the Bureau of Indian standards are followed for all the tests.

• The kit has all the chemicals and accessories to perform these tests in the field. Thus the kit is easily carried to the field and all the tests can be performed there itself. Testing for all the parameters takes a little more than an hour’s time.
• The kit case is sturdy and has a foam cushioning for safety of the chemicals.
• Reagents: The Reagents are essentially liquid, contained in 60ml and 120ml leak-proof plastic bottles, enough to test 100 samples (with the exception of the coliform test, where 10 samples can be tested. The bottles are labeled in such a manner that it not a difficult task identifying the chemicals. The reagents have a shelf life of 6 months, with the exception of the coliform reagent (2 years) and the starch reagent for the dissolved oxygen tests (1 month). Reagents can be replenished and extra equipment can be ordered separately.

• Other accessories in the kit include beakers, syringes, plastic trays, glass test tubes and gloves.

• Illustrative Manual: A self explanatory pictorial user’s manual and field operational handbook are included, which provide step by step instructions for each test such that any person with non-scientific background can also perform the tests easily. The manual also contains background information on water sources and its pollution, information on each parameter and necessary precautions to be taken while using the kit.
• The Jal-TARA kit case is sturdy, elegant and waterproof. The kit weighs 8 kgs with dimensions of 16" X 12’ X 9".

• Safety - Jal-TARA is safe and simple to use, and is popular among school students as well as other organizations for their water monitoring programme. Some of the regular clients of Jal-TARA include UNICEF, WHO, U.P.Jal Nigam, etc.

• Different versions of Jal-TARA are available to cater to needs of specific problems with regard to quality of drinking water. They are:

Jal-TARA Standard Model (tests for 14 parameters for drinking and river water quality) Jal-TARA Standard (tests for 10 parameters for drinking water quality) Jal-TARA Fluoride testing Kit ( tests for fluoride and pH) Jal-TARA Nitrate testing Kit ( tests for nitrate and pH) Jal-TARA Iron testing Kit ( tests for iron and pH)

• Jal-TARA Residual Chlorine testing Kit ( tests for residual chlorine and pH)
• Jal- TARA Arsenic testing Kit ( tests the  presence of Arsenic in water. It has a minimum detection limit of  10 ppb ( as per WHO permissible limit) and the range of testing extends beyond 300 ppb. It can simultaneously test for two samples in 15 minutes)
• Coliform vials for testing bacterial contamination.
   

Availability: Jal-TARA kits are supplied by TARA on order basis. TARA also provides after sales services such as supplying refill of chemicals and extra equipment.

Training: Free training is provided to the customer of the Kit at Delhi. Incase training is outside Delhi, travel, boarding and lodging for two persons for two days has to be borne by the customer. 

Training Video: A Jal-TARA Training Video is also available at extra cost, which demonstrates how to use the kit accurately. 

For more details contact: Development Alternatives, TEMF
B-32 TARA Crescent, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi - 110 0016, India
Phone : 91-11-26134103, 26890380
Fax : 91-11-26130817
or email at temf@devalt.org