BENGALURU: Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister H K Patil has sought Rs 45,000 crore from the Centre to tackle the state’s drinking water crisis.
At the RDPR ministers’ meeting on ‘Rural Drinking Water and Swachh Bharat’ held in New Delhi on Thursday, Patil said nearly 61 tmc-ft water is required to permanently quench the state’s thirst. “The groundwater table (in the state) is depleting and we need to divert river water to meet the drinking water requirements,” he said, adding that the state requires huge funds to implement this scheme.
Patil said the state has set up 1,000 drinking water units in as many villages, and another 1,000 would be set up this year.