Project to ensure supply of drinking water to 50 percent of rural areas

Belagavi: The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation will implement a project to ensure supply of drinking water to 50 percent of rural areas in the country and providing water taps to 30 per cent of households in the next one year, said Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Ramesh Jigajinagi. The project will ensure access to potable water to every rural member, he said in Vijayapura.

The project will be implemented under the National Rural Water Supply scheme. “It will connect 90 percent of the rural population with water pipelines and link 80 percent of households with taps by 2022. The Centre and state governments will share 50 per cent of the cost of the project,” he said.

The states should take care of the implementation of the projects, while the Centre will oversee and provide technical support. The eastern states will be entitled for 90 percent of Central funds under all these projects, he said. Before the completion of the Five Year Plan of 2012-17, the government wants every rural member to get at least 40-50 litres of water to drink and around 70 litres for domestic purposes every day by 2022, he said.

The ministry is serious about making the country free of open-air defecation by October 2, 2019. “Majority of people's representatives in different states are cooperating to make this PM's pet project successful. The Centre and state governments are sharing 60 and 40 percent of the cost of construction of toilets. A recent survey has revealed that 58.70 per cent of people in the country have individual toilets and the government is keen to build toilets for all under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan,” he said.

“Of the 27,641 villages in Karnataka, 2,842 were declared open-air defecation free. Udupi, Bengaluru, Bengaluru Rural and Dakshina Kannada districts have 100 per cent individual toilets. Under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, toilets that consume lesser water are being constructed and awareness on its use maintenance also being created among the rural population,” he said.