Haryana Government seems to have finally woken up from the deep slumber to ensure availability of drinking water to everyone following the death of five villagers in a drought-hit village of Jind while trying to restore a disused drinking well.
State Public Health Engineering Minister Ghanshyam Saraf on Wednesday directed the Department to ensure that clean drinking water is provided to people all over the state.
Saraf presided over a video conference with Superintending Engineers (SEs) of the department in all districts and said that the Government is committed to ensuring adequate drinking water supply to people in the state and making concerted efforts to maintain continuous water supply.
In view of the summer season, all officers from the level of Junior Engineer to Superintending Engineer have been directed not to leave headquarters till July 31. In case of genuine reason, they would have to inform in writing before leaving the headquarters, directed the Minister.
Saraf said that it is the responsibility of the Department to ensure that clean drinking water is provided to the people.
He directed the officers to take steps to prevent supply of muddy or dirty water. He said that in case of shortage of water, temporary arrangement could be made by using water tankers.
Two days back, the State Government had decided that special monitoring of drinking water supply would be carried out in Mewat, Bhiwani, Rewari and Narnaul, where there is a shortage of drinking water. As per the reports, the availability and demand of potable water in Haryana show water shortage in nine districts including Sonipat, Jind, Sirsa, Hisar, Bhiwani, Rohtak, Jhajjar, Mahendragarh and Rewari districts.
As per the data, while the overall demand in Haryana for water is 2,111.37 million litres per day (MlD), including 1,081.66 MlD from the urban side, the authorities have been able to ensure availability of only 1,913.22 MlD, including 968.86 MlD in the urban areas and the remaining 944.36 MlD in the rural areas.
Meanwhile, Saraf asked the officers to pay full attention towards consumer satisfaction and redress all their grievances received at the grievances redressal centre.
The Minister directed them to ensure that all sewerage and drains were covered and get them cleaned before monsoon so that there would be no stagnation of water.
He asked the SEs to ensure that all Sewage Treatment Plants are functioning properly in the state and asked them to submit a detailed report in this regard within 15 days.