STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Minster for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Sham Lal Choudhary on Monday said the department is taking various path-breaking initiatives to provide potable drinking to inaccessible areas of the State and special focus is being given to supplying water for irrigation to every agricultural field.
Winding up the discussion on demand of grants for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Department in the Legislative Assembly, the minister said the mandate of the department is to develop policies, programmes and practices for effective use of the State’s water resources in an equitable and sustainable manner.
Under National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP), the government is focusing on ensuring drinking water security by adopting holistic approach through conjunctive use of surface, ground and rain water harvesting, the Minister said, adding that 1,353 Piped Water Supply Schemes are presently going on in the State under the project.
He further informed the House that 93 schemes are being executed in the State under LIC loan assistance while as under NABARD loan assistance, new water supply projects costing Rs 323.92 crore have been formulated and are in the process of sponsoring for NABARD funding.
Enumerating the initiatives taken by the department for augmenting water supply in Srinagar city, the Minister informed that construction of two water supply schemes viz. WSS Sukhnag and WSS Tangnar were taken up under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) at an estimated cost of Rs 269.37 crore. The commissioning of WS, Sukhnag added supply of 10 MGD water to the city while as WSS Tangnar would also add same quantity of water after its commissioning, he added.
The government is also contemplating to improve existing distribution system in Greater Srinagar, besides inter connecting part-I of Pampore with WSS Tangnar, extending piped network system in Hazratbal constituency, laying Raw Water Main from Rangil to Water Treatment Plant, Pokhribal and shifting pump station from Dal Lake to off-shore across Boulevard Road, he added.
Listing out the steps taken by the department for improving water supply in Jammu city, the Minister informed that Detailed Project Report (DPR) for “Augmentation of water supply to Jammu city from river Chenab Phase-I” amounting to Rs 624.52 crore has been forwarded to the Department of Economic Affairs, GoI for funding under JICA. The DPR under Smart City, for drilling of six new tube wells, creation of Capacitor Banks at pumping stations and improvement of water supply at JDA colony Roop Nagar, EWS colony Roop Nagar, Umer colony, Malik Market and Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar has also been sent to the concerned Union Ministry for approval, he added.
The Minister informed that Water Supply Schemes at Bhaderwah, Sunderbani, Anantnag and Sopore have been completed while as Samba, Udhampur, Kathua and Doda would be completed under UIDSSMT soon.
