Haryana govt to improve water supply in 1000 villages

Chandigarh, July 15 (UNI) The Haryana Government has decided to augment drinking water supply facilities in 1000 villages of the state to the level of 55 to 70 litres per capita per day during the current financial year.

This was disclosed in the meeting of State Sanitary Board held here recently under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

In addition, four lakh water connections would be provided to Scheduled Caste households under the Indira Gandhi Drinking Water Scheme. A sum of Rs 90 crore would be spent for drinking water supply to 503 villages of Mewat area under Rajiv Gandhi Augmentation Drinking Water Project.

Besides, work of providing water supply facilities in 70 model villages and sports stadiums would also be taken up.

Public Health Minister. Randeep Singh Surjewala informed the meeting that the government had decided to incur a substantial amount of about Rs 693 crore to improve the water supply and sanitation system in the rural as well as urban areas during the currentfinancial year.

Out of the Rs 693 crore, assistance to the tune of over Rs 60 crore was being provided by the Central Government. A sum of Rs 467.50 crore had been allocated to rural drinking water schemes and another sum of Rs 133.56 crore had been released for urban water supply and sewerage schemes.

Mr Surjewala said that a sum of Rs 335.56 crore had been allocated to 1297 ongoing rural water supply schemes under various programmes. As many as 1277 schemes would be completed during the current financial year.

Similarly, in the urban areas, a sum of Rs 47.47 crore had been allocated to 109 ongoing water supply and sewerage schemes. Besides, a sum of Rs 75 crore had been allocated for ongoing schemes of water supply and sewerage in eight towns falling under National Capital Region.

Mr Surjewala said that in total, 713 new rural water supply schemes had been approved at a cost of Rs 203.42 crore. For the urban areas, 16 new water supply schemes, costing Rs 5.23 crore and 16 new sewerage schemes costing Rs 21.36 crore had been approved and funds to the tune of Rs 1.68 crore and Rs 9.39 crore respectively had been allocated.

A sum of Rs 2 crore would be spent on IEC and HRD activities under the water quality monitoring and surveillance programme for ensuring safe drinking water to the public.

UNI