To ensure adequate quality potable drinking water supply and total sanitation in villages across the State, Punjab Government would soon put up a comprehensive second World Bank aided project worth Rs 2,000 crore to the Union Ministry of Finance for laying sewerage system in 1,000 villages besides augmentation of rural drinking water supply in 800 villages to 70 litre per capita per day (lpcd).
The decision was taken by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during a high-level wrap up meeting with the six-member World Bank delegation led by its senior Water and Sanitation Specialist and Task Team leader Srinivasa Rao Podi Pi Reddy on Tuesday. Taking part in the deliberations, Principal Secretary Water Supply and Sanitation Suresh Kumar informed that under this project, alternate water supply arrangements for 250 quality affected villages would be made with installation of RO plants or latest interventions.
Besides, performance and service improvement would also be made in 1000 villages with addition or replacement of certain components of water supply schemes and re-modelling and cleaning of all village ponds, he said. A State level Training and Research Institute was also be established for intensifying Information, Education and Communication (IEC) and capacity building activities upon which progress of sector wide approach was wholly dependent.
Badal asked the WB team for seeking funds for up-gradation of damaged water supply schemes in water-logged areas of the state for which WB mission responded in positive for looking into their additional demand of finances in this regard. Highly appreciating project’s progress, the team task leader Srinivasa apprised the Chief Minister that Punjab has really proved to be a role model for other states and it was far ahead of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh where this project was also being implemented progressively.
“Punjab is the only State in the country that has been able to run 23 water supply schemes with 24x7 water supplies through high degree of awareness with installation of water meters,” he added. All the works targeted for completion in this World Bank aided project closing in December 2014 stand awarded and state was likely to exceed target of progress from 20 to 30 per cent which was exceptionally rare in World Bank Aided Rural Project.
Badal asked the WB task team leader to work out modalities recommending the state government a suitable technology for effective, liquid and solid waste management besides bailing out the state in cleaning the village ponds, which had posed a major health hazard to the rural population. He also solicited technical support from the WB team for disposal of sullage in the villages, which was a major problem in the way to ensure clean and pollution free environment.
Badal sought technical help from WB team to explore ways and means to provide safe drinking water in the corporation cities of ludhiana and Amritsar on the basis of their expertise and vast experience. Reddy told the Chief Minister that a study was being done by the expert in this regard to suggest a viable technology for making optimum utilisation of surface water for drinking purpose in these cities and the report was expected in two months.