JOIN USUdupi to tackle water woes
The district which suffered the brunt of severe shortage of drinking water last year is once again on the onset of probable scarcity of drinking water.
Many areas in the district including rural areas had undergone acute shortage of drinking water during last summer. However, the problem was sorted out to some extent with Zilla Panchayat and District Administration jointly taking up necessary measures to tackle the problem.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, ZP CEO Prabhakar Sharma said Zilla Panchayat has taken utmost precautionary measures to avert the problem. The areas that experienced the severe shortage of drinking water are identified and measures are taken to provide water in those areas. However, the water transportation through tankers is the last resort, he added.
The CEO said that the problem is taken up under two programmes. The permanent drinking water schemes and emergency drinking water schemes. Around Rs 34 crores is released to take up projects under permanent drinking water schemes, of which nearly Rs 26 crores is invested on various drinking water projects.
The permanent drinking water programmes includes multi village drinking water schemes and mini water schemes. The CEO added that nearly 65 per cent of the work is completed. Mini water schemes include providing the facilities of open wells and borewells and tracing the water sources.
Emergency water projects are taken up by the task force at taluk-level for which MLA is the head. Funds are released under variable ratio each year. The task force will utilise the contingency funds wherever there is a dire need to take up the water problems.
Task force takes up the work like rejuvenating the defunct water bodies, repairing pipelines and setting up new pipelines wherever necessary, drilling the borewells and repairing the pump sets and so on. However, works are taken up following the scrutiny of each project by the team comprising Taluk Panchayat Executive Engineer, Tahsildar and TP Executive Officer headed by MLA.
The CEO added that separate meetings are held in all the three taluks after the installation of the new elected body in the house and officials are warned to be cautious to take care of emergency water needs.
Priority is given specifically to the areas which experienced the problem last year. The identified areas are provided with new water bodies and all defunct water bodies in the area are being rejuvenated. It is a multi-planned approach.
Gram Panchayath should inform Deputy Commissioner over the need of tanker waters and they can go for it only if DC releases funds. This idea of providing water transport facilities through tankers is least encouraged. Measures are taken to find out permanent solutions, he added.