Chandigarh, June 25
Punjab becomes the first state in the Northern India, to install the Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plants to provide fresh potable water in 327 villages of Bathinda, Mansa, Faridkot, Ferozepur, Sangrur, Patiala and Tran Taran at a cost of Rs.34.82 crore. These districts had a serious threat perception to the human lives due to high degree of salinity in the ground water especially for drinking purposes. The Spokesman of the Punjab Government today said that all the schemes based upon canal water, tube well, percolation well and India Mark-II hand pumps were also being rejuvenated for improving the efficiency of filtration and quality of treated water with de-silting and repair of storage tanks, inlet channels and washing of the filter media in the existing filter beds under NERGA wherein 70% work had been completed and rest was in full swing. Replenishment of the filter media would be completed after washing of the existing filter beds under NREGA. The Water Supply & Sanitation (WSS) department had also fabricated a mobile water testing laboratory to help the department in effective surveillance of drinking water quality in the rural areas of the state. To impart training to the personnel and elected members of Panchayati Raj Institution (PRIs) under the water quality surveillance programme of the Government of India. The WSS department had organized 922 workshops, each in a cluster of five villages with participation of five persons/ PRI members from each village. As a result 4779 villages had been covered under the training programme during the year 2008-09. Each village had also been provided with a water testing kit capable of testing 100 water samples for 8 to 12 parameters i.e. pH, Alkalinity, Hardness, Chloride, TDS, Fluoride, Iron, Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, Phosphate and Residual Chlorine. In addition to field test kits nearly 1 lakh H2S kits had also been distributed to different villages for testing water of different sources for bacteriological contamination. The spokesman further added that the Punjab had also achieved another record by covering 1805 villages during the year 2008-09 under 1280 Water Supply Schemes (WSS) that included 576 new water works schemes in 916 villages, augmentation of 247 existing Water works in 432 villages and 457 schemes in the same numbers of villages by installing India Mark-II Hand Pumps. The State government has been awarded ‘Nirmal Gram Purashkar’ to 22 villages from Punjab during 2008-09 under Total Sanitation Programme (TSC). The Award carries cash prize varying from Rs. 50,000 to 5 lac, depending on the population of the village. The State government with its concerted efforts succeeded in getting the reduction in the beneficiary share under World Bank’s assisted project for Punjab rural water supply and sanitation works. Now, upper ceiling of household share of capital cost had been reduced from Rs.1500/- to Rs.800/- for General category and for Rs.750/- to Rs.400/- per household in difficult area villages i.e. notified villages along with International Border, Kandi Area, Bet Area and Water logged area whereas, SC population to contribute only 50% of the prescribed amount for general category and difficult area villages. After this relaxation 424 villages had contributed beneficiary share out of which estimates of 181 villages had been approved, bids for 180 villages were invited and contracts for 62 villages had been awarded while rest of the work was in progress.Under the rejuvenation of Canal based schemes, 346 schemes were equipped with latest drinking water disinfection system i.e. Silver Ionization Plants at a cost of Rs. 6.74 crore along with the necessary repair and replacement of the machinery. As well as, the Punjab Government has chalked out a special up gradation of Water Supply and Sewerage Plan for Sri Anandpur Sahib, Talwandi Sabo and Muktsar at a cost about Rs.36.34 crore on the auspicious occasion of Gurta Gaddi Diwas celebrations of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji. The scheme envisaged laying of water supply lines & sewerage system, construction of Over Head Service Reservoirs (OHSR), Sewerage Treatment Plants and Toilet Complexes etc. More than 50% to 70% of the works under various schemes had been completed and balance would also be completed with the schedule.
Punjab becomes the first state in the Northern India, to install the Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plants to provide fresh potable water in 327 villages of Bathinda, Mansa, Faridkot, Ferozepur, Sangrur, Patiala and Tran Taran at a cost of Rs.34.82 crore. These districts had a serious threat perception to the human lives due to high degree of salinity in the ground water especially for drinking purposes. The Spokesman of the Punjab Government today said that all the schemes based upon canal water, tube well, percolation well and India Mark-II hand pumps were also being rejuvenated for improving the efficiency of filtration and quality of treated water with de-silting and repair of storage tanks, inlet channels and washing of the filter media in the existing filter beds under NERGA wherein 70% work had been completed and rest was in full swing. Replenishment of the filter media would be completed after washing of the existing filter beds under NREGA. The Water Supply & Sanitation (WSS) department had also fabricated a mobile water testing laboratory to help the department in effective surveillance of drinking water quality in the rural areas of the state. To impart training to the personnel and elected members of Panchayati Raj Institution (PRIs) under the water quality surveillance programme of the Government of India. The WSS department had organized 922 workshops, each in a cluster of five villages with participation of five persons/ PRI members from each village. As a result 4779 villages had been covered under the training programme during the year 2008-09. Each village had also been provided with a water testing kit capable of testing 100 water samples for 8 to 12 parameters i.e. pH, Alkalinity, Hardness, Chloride, TDS, Fluoride, Iron, Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, Phosphate and Residual Chlorine. In addition to field test kits nearly 1 lakh H2S kits had also been distributed to different villages for testing water of different sources for bacteriological contamination. The spokesman further added that the Punjab had also achieved another record by covering 1805 villages during the year 2008-09 under 1280 Water Supply Schemes (WSS) that included 576 new water works schemes in 916 villages, augmentation of 247 existing Water works in 432 villages and 457 schemes in the same numbers of villages by installing India Mark-II Hand Pumps. The State government has been awarded ‘Nirmal Gram Purashkar’ to 22 villages from Punjab during 2008-09 under Total Sanitation Programme (TSC). The Award carries cash prize varying from Rs. 50,000 to 5 lac, depending on the population of the village. The State government with its concerted efforts succeeded in getting the reduction in the beneficiary share under World Bank’s assisted project for Punjab rural water supply and sanitation works. Now, upper ceiling of household share of capital cost had been reduced from Rs.1500/- to Rs.800/- for General category and for Rs.750/- to Rs.400/- per household in difficult area villages i.e. notified villages along with International Border, Kandi Area, Bet Area and Water logged area whereas, SC population to contribute only 50% of the prescribed amount for general category and difficult area villages. After this relaxation 424 villages had contributed beneficiary share out of which estimates of 181 villages had been approved, bids for 180 villages were invited and contracts for 62 villages had been awarded while rest of the work was in progress.Under the rejuvenation of Canal based schemes, 346 schemes were equipped with latest drinking water disinfection system i.e. Silver Ionization Plants at a cost of Rs. 6.74 crore along with the necessary repair and replacement of the machinery. As well as, the Punjab Government has chalked out a special up gradation of Water Supply and Sewerage Plan for Sri Anandpur Sahib, Talwandi Sabo and Muktsar at a cost about Rs.36.34 crore on the auspicious occasion of Gurta Gaddi Diwas celebrations of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji. The scheme envisaged laying of water supply lines & sewerage system, construction of Over Head Service Reservoirs (OHSR), Sewerage Treatment Plants and Toilet Complexes etc. More than 50% to 70% of the works under various schemes had been completed and balance would also be completed with the schedule.
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