BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Friday asked all district collectors to ensure that rural households in their jurisdiction have access to safe drinking water.
Chief secretary Manoj Ahuja reviewed the progress of rural drinking water projects at a high-level meeting on Friday and directed all collectors to make field visits along with other district level officers to make sure they are completed in time.
The chief secretary said that problems for execution of drinking water projects like electricity connection and clearances from different departments should be solved by regular meetings of the collectors with officials of the Panchayati Raj and Rural Development departments.
The chief secretary was informed that the state government has sanctioned 18,677 single village piped water supply schemes (SVPWSS), out of which 12,289 in different stages of completion. The government aims to complete 238 SVPWSS by June 2025 and 752 by December 2025.
Similarly, 16 mega drinking water supply schemes are nearing completion, while 191 are still under construction. These projects are expected to be completed by March 2027. Besides, 4,855 solar based drinking water schemes have been sanctioned, with 3,652 under implementation.
Ahuja said that the target of the state government is to provide piped water supply to 3,652 villages through solar-powered schemes by September 2025. The chief secretary also asked the officials of both departments to review implementation of the drinking water schemes in various districts regularly.