State govt adopts ambitious scheme for safe drinking water

Agartala, Feb 20 (UNI) The Tripura Government has taken up measures to provide safe drinking water to all the rural areas by 2010, an official release today said.

According to the release, there has been a scarcity in drinking water supply, particularly in rural and hilly areas, due to high iron content in water in recent years.

The first initiative taken to improve the situation was the setting up of two mini rural surface water treatment plants at Pecharthal and Jirania Blocks in North and West Districts of the state under Rajiv Gandhi Rural Drinking Water Mission. Since then, these two blocks have been getting safe drinking water, the release said.

As per the action plan taken up by the State Water Resource Department, all the villages in the state will get safe drinking water by 2010 and 671 deep tubewells have so far been commissioned in different rural areas for provide drinking water.

The state water resource department has transferred all the drinking water facilities and treatment plants to the hands of the respective Panchayat Raj Institutions for supervision and maintainance.

In the Panchayat areas of the state, a 4154.34 km long pipe line had been laid by April last year for supplying drinking water in the rural areas.

Moreover, water testing laboratory are being set up in all the four districts and sub-divisisions to maintain the quality of drinking water. Apart from this, the state had received 36 iron removal plants, 62 new deep tube well plants and safe drinking water connections to 276 schools in rural areas serving a 39,740 strong rural population, the release said.

The state water resource department has targetted to cover 3715 rural habitations with safe drinking water under Bharat Nirman programme in the state, the release added.

UNI