Chandigarh, December 29- Having extended 1.06 lakh water connections free of cost to households of members belonging to Scheduled Castes in rural and urban areas of Haryana, the State Government has further waived off connection fee upto March 31,2011.
While stating this here today, a spokesman of Haryana Public Health Engineering Department said that a number of initiatives were taken during the year 2010 so as to ensure adequate supply of drinking water to the people.
He said that under Economic Stimulus Package, work for 100 per cent coverage of water supply and sewerage in 14 towns of Haryana namely Ambala, Assandh, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Ellenabad, Fatehabad, Hansi, Kaithal, Kalayat, Mohindergarh, Narnaul, Sirsa, Tohana and Uchana has been taken up at a cost of Rs.959.20 crore during the year 2010. The work on these projects including land acquisition is in progress and the works are scheduled to be completed by March 2013.
He said that a project costing Rs. 127.04 crore has been approved under NABARD assistance for providing drinking water supply facilities in 64 villages and 34 dhanies upto a level of 70 litres per capita per day (Ipcd) in district Mohindergarh.
He said that while drinking water supply facility has been augmented in 750 villages during this year, 233 new water works have been set up in rural areas and 478 new tubewell connections installed to augment the supply of water during the same period. Also, 57 boosting stations were constructed to maintain adequate pressure and supply distribution pipelines were laid in a length of 2891 kms during the year.
While referring to other major works undertaken by the department during the same period, he said that under the Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Supply Augmentation Project for Mewat, costing Rs.205.91 crores for solving the decades old problem of drinking water in 503 villages of Mewat district, 110 villages covered under Leg-I of Ranney Well Segment have been augmented for supplying drinking water upto the level of 55 Ipcd during August-November 2010. Also, the work on phase-II of the project for augmenting water allowance from 55 Ipcd to 70 Ipcd in 258 villages of Ranney Well Segment has been started during May 2010 at a cost of Rs.94.58 crores.
He said that during this year, the work of water supply scheme Sampla, Bahadurgarh and Sewerage Scheme Sampla, Gohana was completed. Three water works in the towns namely Ambala Cantt., Meham and Sampla were also completed. Similarly, two Sewerage Treatment Plants in the towns of Rohtak, Hodal and Narwana and five Water Treatment Plants in the towns of Ambala Cantt., Kalanaur, Sampla, Meham and Kharkhoda were completed. In addition, 215 kms. water supply distribution pipelines and 335 kms. sewer-lines have been laid in various towns during the same period.
Detailed Project Reports for augmentation of sewerage including Sewage Treatment Plants in seven towns under Yamuna Action Plan namely Yamuna Nagar, Jagadhri, Karnal, Panipat, Sonepat, Faridabad and Gurgaon for population upto the year 2040 have been got prepared through consultants and submitted to National River Conservation Directorate, Union Ministry of Environment and Forests for approval and financing under Yamuna Action Plan Phase-Ill.
While referring to the progress made for providing Water Treatment Plants based on R.O. technology in 100 selected villages falling in the districts of Kaithal, Mohindergarh and Jhajjar, he said that a sum of Rs. 11.25 crore was paid by the State Government to Naandi Foundation and 99 Plants had been commissioned and were operational at present. Safe drinking water was being provided to the consumers at a rate of 10 paise per litre. The remaining one plant is likely to be commissioned in the next fortnight in village Birdhana, district Jhajjar.
He reminded that an MoU was signed between the State Government and Naandi Foundation, Hyderabad on July 23, 2008 for execution of the project.
As a Pilot Project, a proposal has been approved and work has also been allotted for installing R.O. plants in 15 villages of district Jhajjar at a cost of Rs. 1.95 crore.