Hyderabad: WaterHealth India, a subsidiary of WaterHealth International Inc, Wednesday launched a WaterHealth centre at L.V. Prasad Eye Institute (LVEPI) facility at Kismatpur near here.

WaterHealth International (WHI) entered into an agreement with LVEPI for setting up three more WaterHealth centres at the latter's Bhubaneswhar, Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad facilities.

LVEPI, a leading eye care, clinical research and academic institution headquartered here, also plans to use the WaterHealth systems for its five rural centres in Andhra Pradesh.

LVEPI is the first healthcare institute to join hands with WaterHealth India (WHIN) that has so far installed 200 WaterHealth centres in India with a capacity to serve 1.6 million people.

G.N. Rao, chairman of LVEPI, told a news conference that the centre at Kismatpur was set up at a cost of Rs.1.5 million.

"If all the villages have access to safe drinking water, 50 percent of the healthcare problems will be solved. Most of the infectious diseases of the eye are due to lack of safe drinking water," he said.