The Chhattisgarh Government has installed around 1,100 solar powered pumps in the tribal dominated, remote and unelectrified villages of the State so far for providing clean drinking water to the residents.
Around 2.44 lakh hand pumps have been installed for providing clean drinking water to the users across the State. During the last five years more than 46,000 new hand pumps have been installed in several parts of the State, officials stated. The Government has made arrangements for supply of clean drinking water in 46,975 schools across the State. A large number of hand pumps and water tap connections have been provided to the Anaganwadi centres for ensuring supply of clean drinking water to children.
The State Government had earmarked budget of Rs33.15 crore for installation of hand pumps to provide clean drinking water to the citizens. This apart, a total of 21,151 tube wells have also been dug during the last one-and-half years in Chhattisgarh. Out of this, 18894 tube wells were stated to be in working condition for installing the hand pumps as per the Government data till September 2014.
Following this, a total 18,339 new hand pumps were installed on the usable tube wells. Besides, the PHED has also dug as many as 520 tube wells under Nal-Jal Scheme in the aforesaid duration, out of which, 473 were stated to be usable. The Department has also approved a sum of Rs208.78 crore to dig 23,422 tube-wells across the State during the last one-and-half years including sanctioning Rs128.69 crore for 2014-15.
A sum of Rs81.57 crore was approved under National Rural Drinking Water Programme while the State Government made provision for the remaining Rs47.12 crore in its annual budget for 2014-15, it stated. In the current financial year, as many as 1837 new tube-wells were dug, out of which, hand pumps on 1144 successful tube-wells were installed. As per records, the State Government has made a provision of Rs362.39 crore for digging tube-wells during the last three financial years.
In insurgency infested Narayanpur district in Bastar division, after facing low voltage problems, people of several villages and hamlets have now adopted an innovative way to lift drinking water in the district. They are now using solar pumps to run their drinking water supply system. At least 44 ashram hostels in the district have been sourcing power from solar energy options. Similarly the hostels are also getting water supply using the non conventional energy sources.
With the joint initiatives of district administration, Public Health Engineering Department and Chhattisgarh State Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA), non-conventional energy sources have been created to help residents of 110 villages to get rid of the low voltage problems. The solar pumps installed are now providing drinking water and electricity to the villagers. The villages which are benefiting from the scheme include Markabeda, Kapasi, Borgaon, Sitapal, Sulenga (Dhaudhai), Pungarpal, Borpal, Halamimunjmeta, Bawdipara (Siwani) and Ranegabedha in Narayanpur block. Solar pumps have been installed in these villages with an investment of Rs5 lakh each. Solar pumps have been installed in these villages also on hand pumps previously.
Similar is the case in insurgency infested Dantewada district in Bastar, where, like hundreds of other villages across Chhattisgarh, the residents of Bhansi village of the district have also been relieved from the persistent drinking water supply problem through the State Government’s popular ‘Solar Nal-Jal Scheme.’ Earlier, the women of the village had to depend upon the hand pump to draw water. They had to spend hours in the morning to fetch water from the hand pumps. With the installation of solar pump, the life of Bhansi villagers has totally been transformed.
About 100 families now get drinking water from the 1,800 watt solar pump installed in the village. The water from the solar pump is supplied through the pipeline to all the houses. The pump functions automatically and there are no expenses involved on its maintenance. A 600 watt solar pump has also been installed in the nearby Bengali Camp, which supplies water to houses of 20 families.
The villagers use water to irrigate even their kitchen gardens. Now they don’t have to go to Dantewada district headquarters for purchasing vegetables. A villager, Ranjit Das said that he has been getting sufficient time for work, as he was relieved of bringing drinking water because of the Government’s ‘Solar Nal-Jal Scheme.’ Pardeshi Verma said that the women save much time now because of the solar pump and spend that time to help children with their studies.
In another insurgency ridden district Kanker, CREDA under its ‘Hot Water Supply Scheme’ has established a plant in insurgency infested Kanker district to supply 10,100 litres of hot water per day to the various Government and private establishments. Besides, the agency has also installed a plant to supply 7000 litres of hot water per day in Jungle Warfare Training Centre in the district. This apart, a total of 30 solar powered equipment had also been installed in the primary health centers besides solar power plants had been established in Koyalibada, Civil Hospital, Pankhajur and at Prime Health Centre, Amabeda.
The solar powered equipment had helped during emergencies to operate the deep freezer and other key equipment in the health centers. CREDA has also established a 25 Kw solar energy equipment in the Keshkal valley on Jagdalpur road about 30 kms from the district headquarters which had helped street lights remaining illuminated in the 6 kms length of the valley while preventing accidents. There are also about 13 villages in the interior parts of Kanker district which cannot receive power supply in the conventional mode which now have solar powered street lights installed in the villages. The installation of the solar powered equipment had benefitted nearly 4,000 families residing in the district.