Clean drinking water to every household in Bihar by 2020: Nitish Kumar

Patna, Aug 28: All households in Bihar will have clean drinking water facilities by the end of this year, much ahead of the similar target set for the country by 2024, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Friday.

Kumar said though the work under the scheme was hampered due to pandemic and floods in many parts of the state, but still target of providing piped water supply to a total of 89 lakh households across the state will be achieved by October end.

"Every household in the state will have clean drinking water by 2020 end," he added. A total of 51.88 lakh households have already been covered under the ambitious project and rest of the work will be completed by October, the chief minister said.

Kumar inaugurated and started work under key "Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal" scheme at a cost of Rs 11,501 crore of Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) at a function. He said he has been told that similar targets for the country has been set for 2024 and across the world by 2030, an official release said here.

Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi was present on the occasion. Kumar said a total of 30,419 wards in 31 districts are affected by arsenic, fluoride or iron contents in the drinking water, and efforts are underway to provide clean drinking water there to get rid of diseases taking place due to this. Piped water supply to every household forms part of "Saat Nischay" (seven resolves) of good governance of Kumar's ministry in Bihar.

The chief minister interacted through video conference with some of the beneficiaries of the scheme in different parts of the state. Dwelling on other developmental works of the state government, he said, efforts are on to provide electricity for irrigation purposes and toilet in every household to save people from diseases occurying due to open defecation.

He said similarly to protect citizens from ill affects of alcohol consumption, prohibition was implemented in the state in 2016 on demand of women. The chief minister also inaugurated or started work under different projects of Urban Development and Panchayati Raj departments among other on the occasion.