Every household will have drinking water by 2018 in Jharkhand

Out of 794 check dams worth Rs 523.67 crore, 89 schemes have been completed, the minister said adding, this would help irrigate 29,812 hectare land.

Ranchi, Dec 27 Jharkhand drinking water and sanitation minister Chandra Prakash Choudhary today said by 2018 every household will have drinking water and by 2022 drinking water supply through pipes will be available in rural areas.

Stating that better work has been done in the last two years under the leadership of Chief Minister Raghubar Das, Choudhary said during the last two years projects under drinking water and cleanliness was being carried out at approximately Rs 1,000 crore each.

He said 70 large water supply scheme for rural areas and 3,665 minor pipe-line water supply scheme for rural areas were completed with 35.32 lakh villagers getting pure drinking water. In all 576 more pipe-line scheme in Maoist-affected rural areas were being executed, the minister said.

In all 8.01 lakh toilets were built at individual level, the minister said, among which, ten blocks in 264 panchayats, 1511 villages have become open defecation free and by March next year two blocks each in the 24 districts would be made open defection free. For the first time, water lab has begun in all the districts, he said. Out of 794 check dams worth Rs 523.67 crore, 89 schemes have been completed, the minister said adding, this would help irrigate 29,812 hectare land.

PTI