CHANDIGARH: The Bhupinder Singh Hooda Government in Haryana, which completes one year in office this coming Sunday, has augmented the supply of safe drinking water in 480 villages at an estimated cost of Rs. 125 crores. Also, 421 Harijan basties have been supplied with potable drinking water, according to an official release here on Thursday.

The State Public Health Department spent Rs. 280 crores under various schemes, including implementation of the Yamuna Action Plan, for providing safe drinking water in urban and rural areas during the current financial year.

The Department has earmarked Rs.186.4 crores and Rs. 85.6 crores for augmenting drinking water supply in rural and urban areas respectively under various schemes. And to ensure supply of adequate quantity of safe drinking water in southern parts of Haryana, especially the Mewat area which is facing an acute shortage of water, the Government has chalked out an ambitious project based on Ranney wells which are being installed in the plains of the Yamuna.

According to the release, the only source of water supply in this area is tube-wells whose yield is inadequate and the quality of water is not good. The first phase of this project has already been started. The satellite towns falling in the National Capital Region are developing as commercial hubs and cosmopolitan cities at a fast pace and the State Government is well-versed with the pressure which would be exerted over the available infrastructure of these towns thanks to the development.

It has initiated several projects along with the National Capital Region Planning Board for augmenting drinking water supply in the rural areas falling under Faridabad, Gurgaon, Panipat, Rewari, Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonipat districts at an estimated cost of Rs. 162.10 crores.

The Department has set a target of supplying potable water in 340 villages of this region by the end of this financial year, the release added. The National Capital Region Planning Board has also approved a Rs. 71.54 crore project for improvement and extension of water supply and sewerage in five towns of Sonipat, Rohtak, Jhajjar, Rewari and Gurgaon. About 80 villages are being covered under Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP).

The Hooda Government has also extended the water supply distribution system in recently approved colonies. Also, all the 66 big and small towns excluding Faridabad and Panchkula, which are being maintained by Municipal Corporation, Faridabad and HUDA, have been provided piped water supply system. And 53 towns have been covered with skeleton sewerage facility.The outlay for extension of sewerage facilities has been increased to Rs. 29.3 crores during the current financial year.

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