New Delhi, November 4
Haryana will launch “tap water in each home” project at an estimated cost of Rs 700 crore aimed at generating at least 20,000 direct and indirected jobs in the state.
“In 41 years since the state's formation only seven lakh households have water tap connection in their premises. We plan to add four lakh by March 31, 2007,” Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, Minister for Public Health told a select group of newspersons here.
The Indira Gandhi Drinking Water Scheme will be launched on November 19 and it is a unique scheme as it would empower the village panchayats, provide tap water in each household of the state and reduce cases of water-borne diseases.
He said the Hooda government plans to cover each household within the next three years.
Surjewala said the cost of providing water connection in SC household would be Rs 147 crore and for others it would be
about Rs 219 crore, a total of 366 crore. About 22.42 lakh household are expected to spend a sum of over Rs 300 crore as cost of pipes, float valves, ferule and water tank. “Scheme, thus, involves an investment to the tune of Rs 700-800 crore,” he said.
Of the 211 lakh population in the state 150 lakh are in rural areas and 61 lakh in urban centres. At present, 90 per cent household in rural and 40 per cent in urban are dependent on public stand posts for water supply.
Further, out of the 37.12 lakh household, 30.12 lakh rural and urban households do not have private tap water connection. Only three lakh rural households and four lakh urban areas have taken private water connection.
As per Public Health department estimates, 70 per cent of the water supplied through public stand posts is wasted resulting in a loss of Rs 100 crore annually. And, mandays of worth Rs 2000 crore per year are lost by persons in drawing and carrying water through public stand posts.
Under the water scheme, 8.20 lakh scheduled caste households in the state would be provided tap connection and 200 litre capacity storage tank free of charge and they would be charged the water tariff of only Rs 120 per annum.
He said the cost of laying of pipeline from distribution pipeline of the department of Public Health uptill the house of these beneficiaries shall also be borne by the government. The state government will also
provide the pipe to be laid inside the house along with cost of a float valve and one tap in each of these households free of cost. Even the connection charge of Rs 500 in rural and Rs 1000 in urban area will be waived.
In the case of others, the connection charged will be waived for one year till November next, pipeline laying from distribution pipeline to the house of the beneficiary will be borne by the government.
