Water Grid to drench Gajwel by April 2016

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s home constituency Gajwel in Medak district will be the first one in the state to get drinking water through the Telangana state Water Grid project within six months.

Minister for panchayat raj K.T. Rama Rao on Monday said that nearly 3,000 households in Gajwel would be provided water connection as part of the project. He said they will start receiving safe drinking water by April 30, 2016.

Mr Rama Rao said that the fluoride-hit areas of Nalgonda and some other habitats that are close to water sources in Medchal in Ranga Reddy, Khammam and Mahbubnagar districts will get drinking water through taps in the second phase covering 24,500 households within 1.5 years.

He asked engineering officials to inform the public in all the villages and towns about the dates they would start receiving water through the Water Grid project.

Mr Rama Rao said the groundwork has been completed and the Rs 36,000 crore project has achieved financial closure for Rs 20,000 crore loan which included Rs 15,000 crore from HUDCO.

Under the Water Grid project designed by Rural Water Supply department engineers and cleared by the third party WAPCOS, a public sector consultant, 1.25 lakh km of pipeline is being laid in all the districts, barring Hyderabad, to provide drinking water through domestic taps to each and every household by 2018.

The project assumes utmost significance for TRS government with the Chief Minister announcing in several public meetings, besides in the Legislative Assembly, that the party would not seek votes in 2019 Assembly elections if it fails to deliver the project by then.

Mr Rama Rao said they have prepared a road-map to complete the entire project in 2018-itself with specific deadlines for each and every segment district-wise.

He said that 507 habitats spread in 12 mandals of Siddipet, Dubbak and Gajwel constituencies will be covered in the first phase.