State govt adopts scheme for safe drinking water

Agartala, Feb 20: The Tripura Government has taken up measures toprovide safe drinking water to all the rural areas by 2010, an officialrelease today said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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