Govt to rely on traditional water resources not on modern devices

New Delhi, Jan 19 (UNI) Refusing to adopt high cost scientific device for supplying water to people, the Union Rural Development Ministry is depending on traditional water resources and rain water harvesting to provide drinking water to the people of rural areas.

Talking to reporters after the 'Performance Review Meeting of State Secretaries in charge of rural drinking water supply and sanitation, Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said that a company had approached him with scientific device which converted environmental moisture into drinking water. However, he refused to purchase the device for his ministry as he felt that low cost, less technical and sustainable measures like rain water harvesting and watershed manangement were more effective for the people.

Though admitting that the water generated by the moisture trapping machine was more pure, he said that it was not sustainable and affordable for the people at large.

Regarding the performance of states in drinking water supply, he said that the ministry was determined to achieve pure drinking water supply to all by 2009. He said already training of five people for testing the quality of water in every panchayat has started and kits are being provided.

Recounting the measures being taken to deal with arsenic in water in West Bengal, he said that many steps are being provided to provide pure drinking water to the people.

In the field of sanitation, steps are being taken to provide toilets in every household and school by 2012. He said that the number of awardees for the Nirmal Gram Puraskar has increased from 40 in 2005 to 770 last year and in 2007 it was expected to be 9500 which would be increased to 50,000 by 2008. He said every year a ten percent increase in toilets are being done.

He said that states like Tripura, Sikkim and Gujarat have done commendable work in providing toilets in schools while Punjab, Uttaranchal, Chhatisgarh, Asom and Bihar were lagging behind.

However, providing toilets in schools is priority for the ministry which wants to inculcate health and hygiene consciousness among people, especially children.

UNI