Dehradun ( Uttarakhand ) [India], April 3 (ANI): With an aim to reduce electricity costs for tubewells throughout the state, Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan Has instructed the Department of Drinking Water and other relevant departments to develop an action plan for installing solar energy systems by identifying unoccupied areas.
The Chief Secretary further instructed that obtaining a groundwater level report should be mandatory prior to setting up tube wells, and this report must be provided to both the Drinking Water Corporation and Jal Sansthan for regions facing severe drinking water shortages.
Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan presided over the 12th High-Level Committee (HLC) meeting on Wednesday at the Secretariat, focusing on topics pertinent to the discussion. World Bank -assisted Uttarakhand Water Supply Program (2018-2025) in peri-urban areas.
The Chief Secretary has instructed to keep up the continuation of positive procedures under World Bank -aided Uttarakhand Water Supply Program (2018-2025) in suburban regions. He provided directives for ensuring 100% water quality, uninterrupted water supply, sustaining an efficient energy consumption level during pumping operations to conserve electricity, achieving high levels of customer satisfaction, and continually enhancing the system for addressing complaints.
During the meeting, the Chief Secretary endorsed the final adjustments across multiple programs. Uttarakhand Payjal Nigam and Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan.
It was stated during the meeting that the World Bank -aided Uttarakhand Water Supply Program The (2018-2025) initiative in suburban regions with a budget of Rs 1,042 crore is set to conclude on June 30, 2025.
The World Bank 'Ss contribution to the project is ₹ 834 crore, and the Uttarakhand The government's contribution amounts to Rs 208 crore. This initiative covers 22 cities and spans across five districts within the state. Dehradun Tehri, Haridwar, Nainital, and Udham Singh Nagar.
As part of this initiative, the aim is to guarantee a daily water supply lasting 16 hours, maintaining a minimum pressure level of 12 meters, and benefiting 4.35 lakh individuals from the intended beneficiary group at an allocation rate of 135 liters per capita per day. The scheme includes installation of meters along with full cost recovery through volume-based pricing.
Authorities from the water supply division reported that 22 projects have been finalized under the initiative, resulting in 1,08,755 new connections being issued. This represents a 24% increase over the targeted number set by the program.
The World Bank Has shown total contentment regarding the execution of the mentioned project.
The Secretary along with officials from the finance department, additional secretaries, and relevant department officers attended the meeting. (ANI)