Hebri multi-village water scheme remains a dream

 At a time when the residents were facing water problem, the government came up with an ambitious multi-village drinking water scheme for Hebri. However, the benefit of the scheme is yet to reach the people of the villages concerned.

The scheme was conceptualised in 2006. It aimed at lifting water from water sources and supplying it to four to five neighbouring villages. Though the project was approved in the budget in 2007, the action plan received nod in only in 2009. Later, the work on the project started in August 2010. But even after six years, the water is yet to be supplied to the villagers.

The project was aimed at lifting water from Seetha river and supplying it to Hebri, Chara, Kuchooru, Belanje, Kerebettu and Shivapura villages. The estimated cost of the project was Rs 8.4 crore. As the funds were not released on time, the work was divided into two phases.

In the first phase, Rs 2.9 crore was utilised for constructing a bund across the river, jackwell, pumphouse, pipeline, water storage tank, distribution unit and a purifying unit. As per the tender contract, the contractor should have completed the work by 2011. But the work was delayed due to various reasons and the contractor was blacklisted. Later, a retendering process was carried out. In the first phase, a bund and Jack well were constructed and the rising main work was carried out from Kallillu to Huthukar.

So far, the work on 3 lakh-litre capacity overhead tank, 2 lakh-litre capacity purifying unit and the pumphouse has been completed. The authorities had checked the supply of water on an experimental basis to plug the problem. After plugging the leakage, the officials of zilla panchayat’s engineering division had made a promise at the Council meeting to supply water to the residents of Hebri and Chara in the first phase in March 2015.

An estimate of Rs 5.5 crore was prepared for the second phase of the project. The proposal received nod at a higher officials’ meeting held on March 6, 2015. The proposal aimed to take up the work for supplying water to Kucchooru, Belanje, Kerebettu, and Shivapura villages.

The villagers, however, have been demanding a probe into the poor quality work as water leaks from an overhead tank constructed under the first phase. But the officials have neglected the demand of the people.

Kerebettu Sanjeeva Shetty, a resident said, “The benefit of the project has failed to reach the people even after so many years. The government is not sanctioning any other drinking water project to the region because of this existing multi-village drinking water scheme.”