BHUBANESWAR: The State Government on Wednesday announced that piped water supply will be provided to all water scarce urban areas within the next two years.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced this while dedicating 100 drinking water projects, worth `63 crore, to people of 45 urban local bodies (ULBs) in Odisha.
The Chief Minister said the State Government will provide free domestic water supply connection to all urban poor and households belonging to economically weaker sections by waiving a fee of `500.
The State Government is committed to provide equitable, affordable, sustainable and safe water to all urban population with a special focus on the poor, he said.
The Housing and Urban Development Department has identified 422 water-scarce hotspots in 185 Wards of 24 ULBs where water is being supplied through tankers. The Government is working towards providing 135 litres of water for each person per day, Naveen said and added that piped water supply connection will be provided to all urban households including those in slum areas.
“Keeping this in view, efforts need to be taken for augmentation of water resources covering the uncovered areas, improvement of transmission and distribution system and replacement of age-old pipe networks,” the Chief Minister said.
New household connections increased by 68,000 because of simplification of procedure for providing drinking water supply connections to urban poor which has benefited three lakh people, he said.
Naveen said these projects will fulfil the essential need of people in getting potable water and bring relief to them, especially women.
He said damaged and old pipelines of 501 km are being replaced with special provision of funds under State plan and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) schemes. Besides, National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)-accredited laboratories are being set up at Bhubaneswar and eight other places in the State through PPP mode for proper water quality surveillance and monitoring, Naveen added.