Over 1,100 solar energy powered ‘dual operated pumps’ have been installed in 10 districts of Chhattisgarh under the Integrated Action Plan (IAP). 

The information was given by Secretary, Public Health Engineering department (PHED) Ganesh Shankar Mishra during a review meeting of the projects under national rural drinking water programme at Bhubaneswar in Odisha, a Press release issued by the State Government stated on Thursday.

Mishra stated that the solar pumps had been installed in Bastar, Kanker, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Bijapur, Surguja, Jashpur , Koria , Kabirdham and Rajnandgaon districts. He said that a total of 650 solar pumps had been installed under ‘National Clean Energy Fund’ and an additional 450 pumps had been installed under ‘National Rural Drinking Water Programme.’

Mishra claimed that Chhattisgarh was the only State in the country to have installed solar pumps in such large numbers and added that besides Chhattisgarh, solar pumps had been installed in the States of Maharashtra and Odisha. Mishra said that the Chhattisgarh Government had ensured drinking water supply to more than 3 lakh people by connecting the solar pumps to water tanks which then distribute water through the pipelines to the households. He said that the installation of the pumps had helped provide clean drinking water to the people residing in the remote areas of Chhattisgarh.

Moreover, the solar pumps had eliminated the dependency of tribals on unclean water from the natural water sources. The unclean water previously was causing various water borne diseases among the tribals, Mishra said. He said that the dual operated solar pump offers uninterrupted water supply facility in the villages. In case of only solar energy operated pumps, water is available from the tanks only at night while in case of dual operated pumps water supply remains uninterrupted even if the solar pumps develop problems.

The meeting was attended by Secretaries, Joint Secretaries and other senior officers from the Central government besides Secretaries from the PHED Department of  Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand along with the Principal Engineers of the respective states.