With an aim to ensure water conservation in the State, the Haryana Government would soon come out with a policy for supply of treated water.
“It would be formulated especially for the bulk consumers in the State like thermal plants, industries, agriculture, horticulture etc. to save water to the maximum,” said Banwari lal, Minister of State for Public Health Engineering while talking to the mediapersons here.
The Minister said 1,200 to 1,300 MlD of water is being treated in the State Sewerage Treatment Plants (STPs) out of which only 30 to 50 MlD water is reused, and the remaining goes into the drain. The policy would aim at utilizing this water, instead of allowing it to flow waste into the drain, he said.
At present, there are 115 STPs in operation, and work is apace on 20 more while three STPs are being planned.
About water supply in the State, the Minister said, “In 71 cities of Haryana, over 135 litre per capita per day (lpcd) drinking water is being supplied, whereas in 11 cities it is 110 to 135 lpcd, and in 4 cities it is 70 to 110 lpcd of water.”
Banwari lal said, out of the 7,517 habitations in the State, 6,043 are being supplied 100 per cent water while in 1,135, it is 75 to 100 per cent. In 199 habitation, the supply is 50 to 75 per cent and in 34, it is from 25 to 50 per cent. The quality of water is affected in 104 habitations, he added.
A total of 89,182 complaints related to the department were received on CM Window, out of which 87,423 have been resolved, and the remaining 1,759 complaints are being addressed, he said.
Spelling out achievement of his Department in past over three years, Banwari lal said under the Mahagram Yojana, in villages having a population of more than 10,000, the government has raised the drinking water level to 135 lpcd and provided sewerage system.
In the first phase, work has been started in as many as nine villages which would be completed by March 31, 2019. Recently, 11 additional villages have been identified under the Mahagram Yojana where work is in progress. Apart from this, in 37 villages DNITs are being prepared to provide the sewerage system, he added.
The Minister also said, NABARD had sanctioned funds for eight projects estimated to cost Rs 722 crore for boosting water supply in the rural areas suffering from water shortage.
These projects would provide water facility to 256 villages and 72 dhanis. Apart from this, three other project proposals costing Rs 236.85 crore have also been sent for financial assistance of NABARD which would provide water facility to 109 villages and nine dhanis, the Minister said.
Under a flagship programme, a roadmap had been prepared and implemented to provide water in every house and dhanis (having population over 100) as per rules, he said
Officers have been given special directions to ensure water supply through tankers in areas having water scarcity. The department is also ensuring quality water supply by installing RO systems in areas having scarcity of pure water. This facility is being given mainly in those areas where there is scarcity of canal water and the quality of underground water is not good, the Minister said responding to a question related to shortage of water supply in the State.
He further said Tooti lagao–Jal Bachao Scheme (water conservation programme) was launched in the state on June 4. Under this scheme, water taps would be fixed on all pipes till December 31 this year with a total target of 1.05 lakh taps. Out of these, 46,659 taps have already been installed.
Besides, under the water conservation campaign, one lakh taps are being provided by the Government to the NGOs so that these can be fixed on approved connections to save water, he added.
Rs 10 lakh compensation in case of fatality
Banwari lal said that in case of any fatality of sewer man while operating or cleaning manholes and blocked sewer lines, an amount of Rs 10 lakh would be paid to his dependents. Insurance cover would also be provided to them.
Since 1993, 18 sewermen lost their lives in such incidents, and a sum of Rs 10 lakh each would be given to their dependants, he added.
To prevent such incidents, the department has taken a number of steps which include training and safety measures while entering the manhole. As many as 535 sewer men have been trained so far.
If there is blockage in the sewer, permission in writing would have to be obtained from the concerned Executive Engineer, and the work would be carried out in the presence of some senior officer, he added.