Haryana signs MoU with Naandi Foundation

Chandigarh, Jul 23 (UNI) To improve the quality of life of people in rural areas, the Haryana government today signed a MoU with Naandi Foundation, Hyderabad to implement a pilot project on Community Safe Drinking Water Systems in selected villages in Haryana in a phased manner.

The MoU was signed by Haryana Commissioner and Secretary, Public Works Department (Water Supply and Sanitation), Roshan Lal, on behalf of the Haryana government and National Director (Water Programme) Amit Jain on behalf of Naandi Foundation in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda here today.

Chief Minister directed Mr Roshan Lal to appoint a nodal officer in the department to ensure effective implementation of this ambitious programme.

Mr Hooda's suggestion to the Chief Executive Officer Naandi Foundation Manoj Kumar that service charges for purifying water be reduced from eleven paise per litre to ten paise per litre was accepted.

In the first phase of the programme, 100 villages would be taken up under the project in the districts of Mewat, Mahendergarh, Jhajjar, Kaithal and other districts having problem of water scarcity.

These areas had very high contamination levels in drinking water sources. The project would be based on reverse osmosis and related technologies in selected water quality affected villages of the state.

The State Government would pay Rs 11.25 crore to Naandi Foundation for implementation of the programme shortly.

UNI MA BP2037