Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

New water scheme soon

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Minister for Water Resources N.K. Premachandran said here on Friday that a new water supply project with outlay of Rs.1,200 crore will be taken up under the World Bank-funded Jalanidhi scheme.

The government had negotiated the revised terms for the project, including provision for public taps and reduction of the beneficiary contribution from 15 to 10 per cent. Schemes for the poor, including fishermen, would require only one per cent contribution. The scheme would also include some large projects to be taken up with the Kerala Water Authority (KWA).

The Water Resources Department had also drawn up a large project for protecting pools and water bodies needed for agriculture and other needs. An amount of Rs.1,000 crore had been sought from the Centre for the project.

The Minister said the government had taken a strong decision to evict people who had constructed buildings over the main pipelines of the KWA. A survey was on for that purpose. The police intelligence had warned of risks from having buildings over the pipelines. The GIS mapping of pipelines in the Thiruvananthapuram Water Supply Division would be done this year. Besides, computerised electronic leak detectors would be introduced to check water losses.

Mr. Premachandran said that stringent legislative measures would be taken to check encroachment of water bodies in the State. Special arrangements would be made to enforce the law.

The government would prepare a comprehensive water resources plan for scientific management of water resources.

A data bank would be set up to make hydrology data available to all. The Ground Water Act would be amended to check unregulated exploitation of ground water resources. A new law is on the anvil to strengthen participatory irrigation management.

He said water supply schemes were being planned with the objective of safe drinking water to all by 2010-11.

The proposed water bottling plant and pipe factory would start functioning this year.

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