Water ‘vision’ for villages

DEEPANKAR GANGULY
Calcutta, June 26: The Mamata Banerjee government has taken up a scheme to supply 70 litres of safe drinking water daily to each household in rural areas by 2020.

The chief minister has asked public health engineering (PHE) minister Subrata Mukherjee to draw up a detailed report on the project — named Vision 2020 — and submit it to her by the end of this month.

Mukherjee said the programme planned to supply safe drinking water to every village from a source not more than 50 metres from a household. “If we can achieve our target by 2020, it will also help improve the general health of villagers, many of whom suffer from water-borne diseases and the effects of arsenic contamination. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 1,095 crore,” the PHE minister said.

According to the draft Vision 2020 document, the government will try to bring about 55 per cent of the rural households under the scheme by 2015. Kiosks will be set up in every village where water will be stored after purification from treatment plants. Villagers will be able to collect water from the kiosks, Mukherjee said.

“We will also try to supply piped water directly to 33 per cent of these 55 per cent households by 2015,” the minister said. “All schools will have access to adequate drinking water. Panchayats and self-help groups will be tasked with maintaining the water-supply network.”

“It is a shame that in many villages, the residents still have to collect drinking water from ponds,” Mukherjee said.

PHE officials said several small water-treatment plants would be set up. Water from various sources such as rivers, canals and ponds will be brought through pipes to the treatment plants. After purification, the water will be piped to the kiosks. The officials said rainwater harvesting was also being considered.

“We want to avoid the use of underground water as much as possible, particularly in Bankura, Purulia, West Midnapore, Birbhum and Burdwan. In these districts, the arsenic level in groundwater is high. There are problems of fluoride contamination too,” a PHE official said.

PHE sources said a separate scheme was being considered for the Sunderbans, but they did not mention the specifics. For the Darjeeling hills, the Terai and arid regions, water will be carried to and from the treatment plants through large pipes as local water sources are insufficient in these regions.

Mamata will approach the Centre for funds once the Vision 2020 document is ready, the sources said. The PHE department is “giving final touches to the document”, they added.

PHE minister Mukherjee has formed a 12-member expert committee to prepare the document.

Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110627/jsp/bengal/story_14164309.jsp