355 villages in Mizoram to get access to drinking water

Aizawl, Aug 6 (UNI) The Mizoram Public Health Engineering department will provide about 40 litres of drinking water to each villager of 355 villages among the total 777 villages in the state under the Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission and state plan fund.

In 294 villages, each individual will get 10 to 40 litres while in the remaining 128 villages each individual will receive less than 10 litres.

This information was provided in a book entitled 'Kum 10 Chhunga Mizoram Hmel Danglamna' (the changing of Mizoram's face during the past ten years).

Releasing the book prepared by the state I &PR department here today, state Home Minister and acting Chief Minister Tawnluia said, ''This is not the achievement of the Mizoram government alone, but the collective achievement of the people of the state.'' In water supply, the Mizoram government is trying to provide more than 40 litres of water as per national norms to the remaining 422 villages by March 2009 under the Bharat Nirman Programme, Mr Tawnluia said.

In order to facilitate water quality monitoring and surveillance programme, well-equipped laboratories have been set up in each district capital and field testing kits provided to water sanitation committees established in each village.

The methods of providing drinking water supply to villages include construction of ponds, rain water harvesting system and hand pump tube well system among others.

Of the total amount of Rs 18,509.23 lakh received from the Centre during 1999-2008 for rural water supply, the department has utilised Rs 16,751.05 lakh.

There is separate scheme to provide drinking water to Aizawl and the other 21 towns for which a Rs 38.17 crore project has been submitted to the DoNER Ministry.

The Greater Aizawl Water Supply Scheme Phase II, commissioned by DoNER Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar last year, has contributed a lot to solving water inadequacy, officials claimed.

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