Communities to look after pipe water projects

The responsibility of operation and maintenance of each Pipe Water Supply (PWS) project would be entrusted to the concerned beneficiary community by March 2016. No PWS would be taken up in an area where community would not shoulder the responsibility.This was decided at the governing body meeting of the State Water and Sanitation Mission held under chairmanship of Chief Secretary GC Pati at the State Secretariat here. Rural Development Secretary PK Mohapatra presented the updates.

Besides, it was decided to link all IAY beneficiaries with the Swachh Bharat Mission and no IAY house would be treated complete without a toilet.

It has been targeted to construct around 12 lakh household  and 181 community toilets and 102 solid  and liquid waste management plants under the mission during 2015-16.  Schools which have land constraint would get pre-fab toilets.

The members present held the opinion that the Community-led Total Sanitation (ClTS) programme has been a successful tool for achieving ODF (open defection free) in State.  As of now, 379 villages in different districts have been declared ODF. The Unicef , the DFID and the Water Aid are supporting in people’s mobilisation and training of the ClT volunteers. So far, 1,485 volunteers have been trained and mobilided to the field. Target has been set to train more 4,749 such volunteers for the campaign.

Secretary Mohapatra said each district should have at least one block as ODF by October, 2015.