Bhopal,17 May:Public Health Engineering Minister Choudhary Chandrabhan Singh has instructed of the departmental officers to repair hand pumps as soon as they go out of order. He informed that potable water is being transported to as many as 450 villages of the state. He said that during the summer departmental officers have been given the permission of undertaking piece works.
Four lakh one thousand 172 hand pumps have been set up by Public Health Engineering Department with a view to making drinking water available to people. Out of these, 90 percent handpumps are in running condition.
At present 27 thousand 948 hand pumps have become defunct due to sinking of groundwater table while during the same period last year, 29 thousand 248 hand pumps had become defunct.
Similarly, 8,091 out of 6,700 schemes which amounts to 82.80 percent are in running condition.
In view of acute water crisis in some areas of the state, arrangements for transporting water have been made. Under these arrangements, 441 villages in19 districts are being supplied potable water through transportation. It may be mentioned that last year water had to be transported to 506 villages in 27 districts of the state.
Villages where water is being transported include 245 villages in Sagar division followed by 115 in Gwalior division, 40 in Chambal division, 29 in Bhopal division, 10 in Jabalpur division and two villages in Rewa division.