The Hindu : Karnataka / Bellary News : `Tap rainwater to overcome water crisis'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 25, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bellary

`Tap rainwater to overcome water crisis'

Staff Correspondent

6,000 villages likely to be hit

Proposals sought for rainwater harvesting schemes ZP told to convene special meetings Schemes should have permanent water source

BELLARY: B. Satyanarayan, Minister of State for Rural Drinking Water, has underlined the need for tapping rainwater that goes waste to overcome the drinking water problem.

The Minister, who was here to review the progress drinking water schemes in the district on Saturday, said elected representatives should prepare proposals for such a scheme in their areas. He wanted the Zilla Panchayat President to convene a special meeting to discuss the proposals and implement them to solve the drinking water problem.

He said proposals for drinking water schemes should have a permanent water source to ensure success.

Mr. Satyanarayan criticised officials of the Department of Energy for laxity in providing power connections to some drinking water supply schemes ready to be commissioned. He instructed the officials to take steps to provide power connections to all drinking water schemes within a week and directed the Chief Executive Officer to speak to senior officials of the department about officials not taking action.

The Minister said a task force committee had been constituted at the taluk-level under the chairmanship of the MLA to find immediate solutions to the drinking water problems arising during this summer.

Bhagirathi Marulasiddanagowda, Minister for Women and Child Development, G. Karunakar Reddy, MP, K.S.L. Swamy, N. Suryanarayan Reddy, M.S. Somalingappa, G. Umesh, zilla panchayat President, and K. Sudharani, zilla panchayat Vice-President, A. Manaiah, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Health and Education, were among others to participate in the discussion.

Water problem

Mr. Satyanarayan told presspersons that 6,000 villages in the State were likely to face drinking water problem this summer and the Government would take steps to overcome the problem.

He said the Government had spent Rs. 458 crores during the previous year (2004-05) on this. He was touring the districts to assess the progress of drinking water schemes, to know the existing problems and find solutions to them besides sensitising the officials to gear up to meet the challenges.

He said Rs. 1.56 crores was available with the district administration to tackle the drinking water problem in the district.

Mr. Satyanarayan said he would draw the attention of M.P. Prakash, Minister for Revenue and in-charge Minister of the district, on the need to release two tmcft of water from the Bhadra Reservoir to ease the drinking water problem in the district.

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